HELEN  HUNr   JACKSON 


EDU 


NELLY'S  SILVER   MINE 


All  that  morning  Rob  fished  and  Nelly  stuck  grasshoppers  on 
the  hooks  for  him.  FRONTISPIECE.     See  page  205 


LIBRARY 

NELLY'S  SILVER  MINE 

A   STORY  OF  COLORADO  LIFE 


BY 
HELEN    HUNT    JACKSON 

AUTHOR  OF  "RAMONA,"  *' LETTERS  FROM  A  CAT,"  "MAMMY 

TITTLEBACK,"    "BITS   OF   TRAVEL,"    ETC. 


With  Illustrations  in  Color  by 
HARRIET   ROOSEVELT   RICHARDS 


BOSTON 
LITTLE,   BROWN,    AND    COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,  1878,  BY  ROBERTS  BROTHERS. 

COPYRIGHT,  1906,  BY  WILLIAM  S.  JACKSON. 

COPYRIGHT,  1910,  BY  LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND  COMPANY. 


All  rights  reserved 


Electrotyped  and  Printed  by 
THE  COLONIAL  PRESS 
C.  H.  Simonds  &  Co.,  Boston,  U.S.A. 


eouc, 

UBRARY 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    CHRISTMAS  -  DAY  IN    NELLY'S    NEW  -  ENGLAND 

HOME 1 

II.  A  TALK  ABOUT  LEAVING  MAYFIELD        ...  18 

III.  OFF  FOR  COLORADO 48 

IV.  A  NIGHT  IN  A  SLEEPING  -  CAR        ....  71 
V.     FIRST  GLIMPSES  OF  COLORADO  AND  A  NEW  HOME  96 

VI.     LIFE  AT  GARLAND'S 125 

VII.     A  HUNT  FOR  A  SILVER  MINE 142 

VIII.     THE  MARCHES  LEAVE  GARLAND'S   .       .       .       .157 

IX.     WET  MOUNTAIN  VALLEY 188 

X.     ROB  AND  NELLY  Go  INTO  BUSINESS      .       .       .  209 

XL     How  TO  FIND  A  SILVER  MINE        ....  228 

XII.     NELLY'S  SILVER  MINE 251 

XIII.  "  THE  GOOD  LUCK  " 270 

XIV.  AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE 292 

XV.    CHANGES  IN  PROSPECT 311 

XVI.     "  GOOT  -  BY  AND  GOOT  LUCK  "  323 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


ALL    THAT    MORNING    ROB     FISHED    AND    NELLY   STUCK 

GRASSHOPPERS    ON   THE    HOOKS   FOR   HIM       .          .  Frontispiece 

NELLY  SAT  ON  ONE  SIDE  WITH  ALL  HER  DOLLS  RANGED 

IN   A  ROW  AGAINST   THE   WALL Page        20 

SURE  ENOUGH,  THERE  WAS   A  NICE   FRESH  SPRING  BUB- 
BLING UP   OUT   OF  THE    GROUND  .          .          .          .  "          119 

HE  WOULD  RING   OUT  SUCH  A  "  JODEL  "  THAT  THE 
PEOPLE  WOULD  STOP  AND  LOOK  UP  AMAZED     .       .       "       133 

THERE  SHE  SAW  THE  VERY  PLACE  SHE  RECOLLECTED 

so  WELL  "       258 


NELLY'S  SILVER  MINE 


CHAPTER   I 

CHRISTMAS  -  DAY   IN    NELLY'S   NEW  -  ENGLAND    HOME 

IT  was  Christmas  morning ;  and  Nelly  March  and  her 
brother  Rob  were  lying  wide  awake  in  their  beds, 
wondering  if  it  would  do  for  them  to  get  up  and  look  in 
their  stockings  to  see  what  Santa  Claus  had  brought 
them.  Nelly  and  Rob  were  twins ;  but  you  would  never 
have  thought  so,  when  you  looked  at  them,  for  Nelly  was 
half  a  head  taller  than  Rob,  and  a  good  deal  heavier. 
She  had  always  been  well;  but  Rob  had  always  been  a 
delicate  child.  He  was  ill  now  with  a  bad  sore  throat, 
and  had  been  shut  up  in  the  house  for  ten  days.  This 
was  the  reason  that  he  and  Nelly  were  in  bed  at  six 
o'clock  this  Christmas  morning,  instead  of  scampering 
all  about  the  house,  and  waking  everybody  up  with  their 
shouts  of  delight  over  their  presents.  When  they  went 
to  bed  the  night  before,  Mrs.  March  had  said:  "  Now, 
Rob,  you  must  promise  me  not  to  get  out  of  bed  till  it  is 
broad  daylight,  and  the  house  is  thoroughly  warm.  You 
will  certainly  take  cold,  if  you  get  up  in  the  cold  room. ' ' 

"  Mamma,"  said  Nelly,  "  I  needn't  stay  in  bed  just 
because  Rob  has  to,  need  I  ?  I  can  take  his  presents  out 
of  the  stocking,  and  carry  them  to  him." 

"  You  shan't,  either,"  said  Rob,  fretfully.  "  I  want 
to  take  them  out  myself;  and  you're  real  mean  not  to 


2  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

wait  for  me,  Nell.  "Tisn't  half  so  much  fun  for  just 
one.  Shan't  she  stay  in  bed  too,  mamma,  as  long  as  I 
have  to?  " 

Mrs.  March  looked  at  Nelly,  and  smiled.  She  knew 
Nelly  had  not  thought  Rob  would  care  any  thing  about 
her  getting  up  first,  or  she  would  never  have  proposed 
it.  Nelly  was  always  ready  to  give  up  to  Rob,  much 
more/sc.  than  was  fop  his  good. 

.' '  Nelly  can  do  as  she  pleases,  Rob, ' '  she  answered. 
;:  I  don't  thi^k.it  would  be  fair  for  me  to  compel  her  to 
stay  in  bed  because  you  have  a  sore  throat :  do  you  ?  ' ' 

But  Rob  did  not  answer.  He  was  not  a  very  generous 
boy,  and  all  he  was  thinking  of  now  was  his  own  plea- 
sure. 

11  Say,  Nell,"  he  cried,  "  you  won't  get  up,  will  you, 
till  I  can  ?  Don 't :  I  '11  think  you  're  real  unkind  if  you 
do." 

"  No,  no,  Rob,"  said  Nelly.  "  Indeed  I  won't.  I 
don't  care.  It  will  be  all  the  longer  to  think  about  it, 
and  that's  almost  the  best  part  of  it."  And  Nelly  threw 
her  arms  around  Rob's  neck  and  kissed  him. 

"  It's  too  bad,  you  darling,"  she  said,  "  you  have  to 
be  sick  on  Christmas-day.  I  won't  have  any  pudding, 
either,  if  you  don't  want  me  to." 

Mrs.  March  was  an  Englishwoman,  and  had  lived  in 
England  till  she  was  married,  and  she  always  had  on 
Christmas-day  a  real  English  plum-pudding  with  brandy 
turned  over  it,  and  set  on  fire  just  before  the  pudding 
was  brought  to  the  table,  so  that  when  it  came  in  the  blue 
and  red  and  yellow  flames  were  all  blazing  up  high  over 
it,  and  the  waitress  had  to  turn  her  head  away  not  to 
breathe  the  heat  from  the  flames. 

You  would  have  thought  it  would  have  made  Rob 
ashamed  to  have  Nelly  propose  to  go  without  pudding 
because  he  could  not  eat  any,  but  I  don't  think  it  did. 
All  he  said  was, — 


NELLY'S   NEW -ENGLAND   HOME  3 

"  Don't  be  a  goose,  Nell.    That's  quite  different." 

Just  before  they  went  to  sleep,  Sarah,  the  cook,  went 
past  their  door,  and  Nelly  called  to  her :  — 

"  Sarah,  mamma  says  we  mustn't  get  up  to-morrow 
morning  till  the  house  is  very  warm.  Couldn't  you  get 
up  very  early  and  start  the  furnace  fire?  " 

"  Why,  yes,  Miss  Nelly,  I  can  do  that  easy  enough, 
sure ;  but  where  '11  you  be  sleeping  ?  ' : 

"  Just  where  we  always  do,  Sarah,"  replied  Nelly, 
much  surprised  at  this  question. 

"  Well,  miss,  I'll  be  up  long  before  light  and  get  the 
house  as  warm  as  toast  by  the  time  you  can  see  to  tell 
the  toes  from  the  heels  of  your  stockings,"  said  Sarah. 
"  Good-night,  Miss  Nelly.  Good-night,  Master  Rob." 

11  What  could  she  have  meant  asking  where  we'd  be 
sleeping?  "  said  Rob. 

"I'm  sure  I  don't  know,"  said  Nelly;  "  it's  very 
queer.  We've  never  slept  anywhere  but  in  these  two 
beds  since  we  were  babies.  I  don 't  know  what 's  got  into 
her  head.  It's  the  queerest  thing  I  ever  knew.  I  guess 
she  was  sleepy,"  and  in  a  few  moments  both  the  chil- 
dren were  fast  asleep. 

Rob  was  the  first  to  wake  up.  It  was  not  much  past 
midnight. 

' '  Nelly, ' '  he  whispered.    No  answer. 

Twice  he  called:  still  no  answer.  There  was  not  a 
sound  to  be  heard  except  the  loud  ticking  of  the  high 
clock  at  the  head  of  the  stairs.  Presently  there  came 
a  rustle  and  quick  low  steps,  and  his  mother  stood  by 
his  bed. 

"  What  do  you  want,  my  dear  little  boy?  "  she  said. 
"  Is  your  throat  worse?  " 

"No;  isn't  it  time  to  get  up?  "  said  Rob.  "  Hasn't 
Sarah  made  the  fire  ?  ' ' 

"  Oh,  mercy!  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  March.  "  Is  that  all? 
Why  Rob!  it  isn't  anywhere  near  morning.  You  must 


4  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

go  to  sleep  again,  child ;  it  is  a  terribly  cold  night, '  '  and 
she  tucked  the  bed-clothes  tight  around  him,  and  ran 
back  to  her  own  room. 

11  I  don't  care,"  said  Rob.  "Ill  just  stay  awake. 
I  don't  believe  it'll  be  very  long;  "  but  before  he  knew 
it  he  was  fast  asleep  again.  The  next  time  he  waked,  it 
had  begun  to  be  light,  or  rather  a  little  less  dark.  He 
could  see  the  outline  of  the  window  at  the  foot  of  his 
bed,  and  he  could  see  Nelly's  bedstead,  which  was  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  room. 

1 '  Nelly, ' '  he  called  again. 

11  I'm  awake,  "said  Nelly. 

' '  Why  didn  't  you  speak  ?  ' '  said  Rob. 

"  I  was  thinking,"  replied  Nelly.  "  Sarah  hasn't 
gone  down  yet." 

il  Pshaw,"  said  Rob,  "  she  must  have.  She  said  she'd 
go  long  before  light.  She  went  before  you  were  awake. ' ' 

"  It's  awful  cold,"  whispered  Nelly;  "  I  can't  keep 
even  my  hands  out  of  bed.  I'm  going  to  jump  up  and 
see  if  any  hot  air  comes  in  at  the  register. ' '  So  saying, 
she  jumped  out  of  bed,  ran  to  the  register,  and  held  her 
hands  above  it. 

"  Cold  as  Greenland,  Rob,"  she  said,  "  Sarah  can't 
have  made  the  fire.  I  don't  believe  she  is  up." 

"  Oh,  dear,"  said  Rob,  "  every  thing  all  goes  wrong 
when  I'm  sick.  I  think  it's  too  mean  I  have  to  be  the 
sick  one  just  because  we're  twins.  I  heard  a  lady  say 
once  to  mamma,  —  she  didn 't  think  I  heard  but  I  did, 
—  *  Weren  't  you  very  sorry,  Mrs.  March,  to  have  twins  ? 
You  know  they  can't  ever  both  be  strong.  Your  Rob, 
now,  he  looks  very  sickly.'  Civil,  that  was,  to  mamma, 
wasn't  it?  I  was  so  mad  I  could  have  flung  my  ball 
at  her  old  wise  head.  But  I  think  it  must  be  true,  be- 
cause mamma  answered  her  real  gentle,  but  with  her 
voice  all  trembly,  and  she  said,  '  Yes,  I  know  that  is 
usually  said  to  be  so ;  but  we  hope  to  prove  the  contrary. 


NELLY'S   NEW -ENGLAND   HOME  5 

Rob  grows  stronger  every  year,  and  he  and  his  sister 
take  so  much  comfort  together,  I  can  never  regret  that 
they  were  born  twins. '  But  I  do :  I  think  it 's  a  shame 
to  make  a  fellow  sick  all  his  life  that  way.  I  say,  Nell, 
I  don't  believe  you'd  mind  it  half  as  much  as  I  do. 
Girls  are  different  from  boys.  I  think  it  would  have 
been  better  for  you  to  be  the  sick  one  than  me.  Don't 
you?  Say,  Nell!" 

This  was  a  hard  question  for  poor  Nelly. 

"  Oh,  Rob!  "  she  said,  "  I  don't  want  to  be  selfish 
about  it.  I'd  be  willing  to  take  turns  and  be  sick  half 
the  times ;  or  some  more  than  half,  —  I  guess  three-quar- 
ters :  but  I  think  you  ought  to  have  a  little. ' ' 

"  But  don't  you  see,  Nell,  it  can't  be  that  way,"  in- 
terrupted Rob ;  "  it  can 't  be  that  way  with  twins.  It 's 
got  to  be  one  sick  one  and  one  strong  one.  That's  what 
that  lady  said,  and  mamma  said  she'd  heard  so  too; 
and  I  think  it's  just  as  mean  as  any  thing.  They  might 
have  let  us  be  born  as  much  as  three  days  apart,  or  a 
week:  that  wouldn't  have  made  any  difference  in  the 
fun;  we  could  have  played  just  as  well,  and,  besides, 
we'd  have  had  two  birthdays  to  keep  then,  don't  you 
see?  " 

"  I  don't  think  that  would  be  so  nice,  Rob,"  said 
Nelly,  "  as  to  have  one  together.  That  would  be  like 
my  getting  up  now,  before  you  do,  and  having  my 
stocking  all  to  myself,  and  you  didn't  want  me  to  do 
that" 

1 '  Pshaw,  Nell, ' '  replied  Rob,  impatiently  as  before : 
* '  that 's  quite  different ;  but  girls  never  see  things. ' ' 

Nelly  laughed  out  loud.  "  I  don't  know  why:  we 
have  as  many  eyes  as  boys  have.  I  see  lots  more  things 
in  the  woods  than  you  do,  always. ' ' 

' '  Oh,  not  that  sort  of  things, ' '  answered  Rob ;  ' l  not 
that  kind  of  seeing ;  not  with  your  eyes :  I  mean  to  see 
with  your  —  well,  I  don 't  know  what  it  is  you  see  with, 


6  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

the  kind  I  mean;  but  don't  you  know  mamma  often 
says  to  papa  about  something  that's  got  to  be  done, 
'  don't  you  see?  don't  you  see?  '  and  she  doesn't  mean 
that  he  is  to  look  with  his  eyes :  that 's  the  kind  I  mean. 
Now  where  is  that  Sarah?  "  he  exclaimed  suddenly, 
sitting  bolt  upright  in  bed  in  his  excitement.  "  It's  as 
cold  as  out-doors  here,  and  there  isn  't  a  creature  stirring 
in  the  house,  and  it 's  broad  daylight. ' ' 

"  Oh,  Rob,  do  lie  down  and  cover  yourself  up,"  cried 
Nelly.  "  You're  a  naughty  boy,  and  you'll  have  an- 
other sore  throat  as  sure's  you're  alive.  It  isn't  broad 
daylight  nor  any  thing  like  it.  I  can't  but  just  see  the 
stockings." 

"  Can't  but  just  see  them!  "  said  Rob.  "  Didn't  I 
tell  you  girls  couldn't  see  any  thing?  Why,  I  can  see 
them  just  as  plain,  just  as  plain  as  if  I  was  in  'em! 
Ain't  they  big,  Nell?  I  know  what's  in  yours,  for  one 
thing." 

"  Oh,  Rob!   do  you?    Tell  me!  "  exclaimed  Nell. 

"  I  can't,"  replied  Rob.  "  I  promised  mamma  I 
wouldn't.  But  it's  something  you've  wanted  awfully." 

"  A  doll,  Rob !  oh,  is  it  a  doll  with  eyes  that  can  shut? 
oh,  say,  Rob !  ' '  pleaded  Nelly.  ' '  It 's  long  past  the 
time  I  ought  to  have  had  it,  if  you  hadn't  been  sick: 
you  might  tell  me.  I  '11  tell  you  what  one  of  your  things 
is  if  you  will." 

"  I  don't  want  to  know,  Nell,"  replied  Rob,  "  and 
you  needn't  tease  me,  for  I'll  never  tell  you:  not  if 
they  lie  abed  in  this  house  all  day.  Dear  me!  where 
can  Sarah  be  ?  I  'm  going  to  call  mamma. ' ' 

"  You  can't  make  her  hear,  Rob,"  answered  Nelly. 
"  They  shut  the  doors  ever  so  long  ago.  They  were 
talking  about  something  they  didn't  want  us  to  hear." 

' '  How  do  you  know  ?  ' '  said  Rob. 

"  Because  I  heard  some  of  what  they  said,  and  I 
coughed  so  that  they  might  know  I  was  awake,"  re- 


NELLY'S   NEW -ENGLAND   HOME  7 

plied  Nelly.  "  Oh,  Rob,  it  is  awful!  "  and  Nelly  began 
to  sob. 

"  What's  awful?  what  is  it,  Nell?  Tell  me,  can't 
you  ?  ' '  said  Rob,  in  an  excited  tone. 

"  No,  Rob,  I'm  not  going  to  tell  you  any  thing  about 
it,"  replied  Nelly.  "  It  wouldn't  be  fair,  because  they 
didn't  want  us  to  know.  It'll  be  time  enough  when  it 
comes. ' ' 

"  When  what  comes?  "  shouted  Rob,  thoroughly 
roused  now.  "  I  do  say,  Nell  March,  you're  enough 
to  try  a  saint.  What  did  you  tell  me  any  thing  about 
it  for?  I'll  tell  mamma  the  minute  she  comes  in,  and 
tell  her  you  listened.  Oh,  shame,  shame,  shame  on  a 
listener!  " 

"  Rob,  you're  just  as  mean  as  you  can  be,"  cried 
Nelly.  "  I  didn't  listen,  and  mamma  knows  very  well 
I  wouldn't  do  such  a  thing.  Of  course  I  couldn't  help 
hearing  when  both  doors  were  open,  and  I  coughed  out 
loud  as  soon  as  I  thought  about  it  that  most  likely  they 
didn't  mean  we  should  know  any  thing  about  it.  I 
heard  papa  say  something  about  the  children,  and 
mamma  said,  *  we  won't  tell  them  till  it  is  all  settled,' 
and  then  I  gave  a  great  big  cough,  and  she  got  up  and 
shut  both  the  doors;  so  now,  Rob,  you  see  I  wasn't  a 
listener.  I  wouldn  't  listen  for  any  thing :  mamma  said 
once  it  was  the  very  meanest  kind  of  a  lie  in  the  whole 
world!  Mamma  knows  I  wouldn't  do  it,  and  you  can 
just  tell  her  what  you  like,  you  old  hateful  boy." 

This  was  a  very  unhappy  sort  of  talk  for  Christmas 
morning,  was  it  not?  But  both  Rob  and  Nelly  were 
tired  and  cold,  and  their  patience  was  all  worn  out.  It 
really  was  a  hard  trial  for  two  children  only  twelve 
years  old  to  have  to  lie  still  in  bed,  hour  after  hour, 
Christmas  morning,  waiting  for  their  presents ;  it  grew 
slowly  lighter  and  lighter ;  each  moment  they  could  see 
the  big  stockings  plainer  and  plainer ;  they  hung  on  the 


8  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

outside  of  the  closet  door  on  two  big  hooks,  where  were 
usually  hung  the  children's  school  hats.  One  stocking 
was  gray,  and  one  was  white.  I  must  tell  you  about 
these  stockings,  for  they  were  very  droll.  They  were 
larger  than  the  largest  boots  you  ever  saw,  and  would 
reach  the  whole  length  of  a  man's  leg,  way  above  his 
knee,  as  far  up  as  they  could  go.  They  belonged  to  the 
children 's  grandfather  March.  He  was  one  of  the  queer- 
est old  gentlemen  that  ever  was  known,  I  think.  He 
lived  in  a  city  a  great  many  miles  away  from  the  village 
where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  lived,  but  he  used  to  spend 
his  winters  with  them.  About  six  weeks  before  he  ar- 
rived, big  boxes  used  to  begin  to  come.  There  was  no 
railroad  to  this  village:  every  thing  had  to  come  on 
coaches  or  big  luggage  wagons.  Early  in  November, 
old  Mr.  March's  boxes  always  began  to  arrive  at  his 
son's  house.  When  Rob  and  Nelly  saw  Mr.  Earle's  big 
express  wagon  drive  up  to  the  back  gate,  they  always 
exclaimed,  "  Oh,  there  are  grandpa's  things  coming!  " 
and  they  would  run  out  to  see  them  unloaded.  You 
would  have  thought  that  old  Mr.  March  supposed  there 
was  nothing  to  eat  in  all  the  village,  to  see  what  quan- 
tities of  .food  he  sent  up.  But  the  most  peculiar  thing 
about  it  was  that  he  sent  such  queer  things.  He  was 
as  queer  about  his  food  as  he  was  about  every  thing 
else,  and  he  did  not  eat  the  things  other  people  ate. 
For  instance,  he  never  ate  butter;  he  ate  fresh  olive 
oil  on  everything;  and  he  had  a  notion  that  no  olive 
oil  was  brought  to  this  country  to  sell  which  was  fit  to 
eat.  He  had  an  intimate  friend  who  was  an  old  sea 
captain,  and  used  to  sail  to  Smyrna;  this  sea  captain 
used  to  bring  over  for  him  large  boxes  of  bottles  of 
olive  oil  every  spring  and  autumn;  and  two  or  three 
of  these  boxes  he  would  use  up  in  the  course  of  the 
winter.  He  never  used  more  than  half  of  the  oil  in  a 
bottle :  after  it  had  been  opened  a  few  days,  he  did  not 


NELLY'S   NEW -ENGLAND   HOME  9 

like  it;  he  would  smell  it  very  carefully  each  day,  and, 
by  the  third  or  fourth  day,  he  would  shove  the  bottle 
from  him,  and  say,  ' '  Bah !  throw  the  stuff  away !  throw 
it  away!  it  isn't  fit  to  eat!  >:  Mrs.  March  had  great 
trouble  in  disposing  of  these  half  bottles  of  oil;  every- 
body in  the  neighborhood  took  them,  and  very  glad 
people  were  to  get  them  too,  for  the  oil  was  delicious; 
but  there  were  enough  for  two  or  three  villages  of  the 
size  of  Mayfield.  These  sweet-oil  boxes  had  curious  let- 
ters on  them  in  scarlet  and  blue,  and  the  bottles  were 
all  rolled  up  in  a  sort  of  shining  silver  paper,  which 
Rob  and  Nelly  used  to  keep  to  cover  boxes  with.  It 
was  very  pretty,  so  they  were  always  glad  when  they 
saw  a  big  pile  of  the  olive-oil  boxes.  Then  there  were 
also  boxes  full  of  bottles  of  pepper-sauce;  this  came  in 
big  black  bottles,  and  the  little  peppers  showed  red 
through  the  glass;  the  smallest  drop  of  this  pepper- 
sauce  made  your  mouth  burn  like  fire,  but  this  queer 
old  gentleman  used  to  pour  it  over  every  thing  he  ate. 
The  big  bottle  of  pepper-sauce  and  the  big  bottle  of 
olive  oil  were  always  put  by  his  plate,  and  he  poured 
first  from  one  and  then  from  the  other,  until  the  food 
on  his  plate  was  nearly  swimming  in  the  strange  mix- 
ture. Salt  fish  was  another  of  his  favorite  dishes,  and 
he  brought  up  every  autumn  huge  piles  of  them.  They 
came  in  flat  packages,  tied  up  with  coarse  cord;  when 
Mr.  Earle  threw  them  down  to  the  ground  from  the  top 
of  his  wagon  a  strong  and  disagreeable  odor  rose  in  the 
air,  and  Rob  and  Nelly  used  to  exclaim,  "  Groans  for 
the  salt  fish!  groans  for  the  salt  fish!  Why  didn't  you 
lose  it  off  the  wagon,  Mr.  Earle?  " 

"  It  wouldn't  have  made  any  odds,  miss,"  Mr.  Earle 
used  to  reply.  "  The  old  gentleman  Jd  have  made  me 
go  back  for  more."  Besides  the  salt  fish,  there  were 
little  kegs  full  of  what  are  called  "  tongues  and  sounds," 
put  up  in  salt  brine;  these  are  the  tongues  and  the 


10  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

intestines  of  fish;  there  were  also  jars  of  oysters  and 
of  clams,  and  a  barrel  of  the  sort  of  bread  sailors  eat 
at  sea,  which  is  called  hard-tack.  Now,  after  hearing 
about  the  extraordinary  food  this  old  gentleman  used 
to  bring  for  his  own  use,  you  will  be  prepared  to  believe 
what  I  have  to  tell  you  about  his  big  stockings.  He 
had  just  as  queer  notions  about  his  bed  and  all  his  ar- 
rangements for  sleeping,  as  he  had  about  his  food.  No 
woman  was  ever  allowed  to  make  his  bed.  He  always 
made  it  himself.  Except  in  the  very  hottest  weather, 
he  would  not  have  any  sheets  on  it,  only  the  very  finest 
of  flannel  blankets,  a  great  many  of  them ;  and  he  never 
wore  any  night-gown;  he  believed  they  were  very  un- 
wholesome things. 

"  Why  don't  animals  put  on  night-gowns  to  sleep 
in  ?  "  he  used  to  say ;  one  might  very  well  have  replied 
to  him,  "  Animals  don't  crawl  in  between  blankets 
either,  and  if  you  are  going  to  be  simply  an  animal, 
you  must  go  without  any  clothes  day  and  night  both." 
However,  he  was  a  very  irritable  old  gentleman,  and 
nobody  ever  argued  with  him  about  any  thing.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  March  let  him  do  in  all  ways  exactly  as  he 
liked,  and  never  contradicted  him,  for  he  loved  them 
very  much,  in  his  way,  and  was  very  good  to  them. 

Of  all  his  queer  ways  and  queer  things,  I  think  these 
big  stockings  were  the  queerest.  As  I  said,  he  never 
wore  any  night-gown  in  bed,  but  he  was  over  seventy 
years  old,  and,  in  spite  of  all  his  theories,  his  feet  and 
legs  would  sometimes  get  cold:  so  he  went  to  a  tailor 
and  got  an  exact  pattern  of  a  tight-fitting  leg  to  a  pair 
of  trousers ;  then  he  took  this  to  a  woman  who  knit 
stockings  to  sell,  and  he  unrolled  his  leg  pattern  before 
her,  and  said :  — 

' '  Do  you  see  that  leg,  ma  'am  ?  Can  you  knit  a  stock- 
ing leg  that  shape  and  length?  " 

The  woman  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  him. 


NELLY'S    NEW -ENGLAND   HOME          11 

"  Why,  sir,"  said  she,  "  you'd  never  want  a  stocking- 
leg  that  long?  " 

"  I  didn't  ask  you  what  I  wanted,  ma'am,"  growled 
the  old  gentleman,  "  I  asked  you  what  you  could  do. 
Can  you  knit  a  stocking-leg  that  length  and  shape  ?  ' ' 

"  Why,  yes,  sir,  I  suppose  I  can,"  she  replied,  much 
cowed  by  his  fierce  manner. 

"  Well,  then,  knit  me  six  pairs,  three  gray  and  three 
white.  There's  the  pattern  for  the  foot,"  and  he  threw 
down  an  old  sock  of  his  on  the  table,  and  was  striding 
away. 

The  woman  followed  him.   9 

"  But,  sir,"  she  said  timidly,  "  I  couldn't  knit  these 
for  the  price  of  ordinary  stockings.  I'm  afraid  you 
wouldn't  be  willing  to  pay  what  they  would  cost.  It 
would  be  like  knitting  a  pair  of  pantaloons,  sir,  —  in- 
deed it  would. ' ' 

Old  Mr.  March  always  carried  a  big  gold-headed  cane ; 
and,  when  he  was  angry,  he  lifted  it  from  the  ground 
and  shook  the  gold  knob  as  fast  as  he  could  right  in 
people's  faces.  He  lifted  it  now,  and  shook  the  gold 
knob  so  close  in  the  woman's  face,  that  she  retreated 
rapidly  toward  the  door. 

* '  I  didn  't  say  any  thing  about  money :  did  I,  ma  'am  ? 
Knit  those  stockings :  I  don 't  care  what  they  cost, ' '  he 
cried. 

"  But  I  thought,"  she  interrupted. 

11  I  didn't  ask  you  to  think,  did  I?  "  said  Mr.  March, 
speaking  louder  and  louder.  "  You'll  never  earn  any 
money  thinking.  Knit  those  stockings,  ma'am,  and  the 
sooner  the  better,"  and  the  old  gentleman  walked  out 
of  the  house  muttering. 

"  Dear  me,  what  a  very  hasty  old  gentleman!  "  said 
the  woman  to  herself.  "  I'll  go  over  and  ask  Mrs. 
March,  and  make  sure  it's  all  right."  So  the  next  day 
she  went  to  see  Mrs.  March,  who  explained  to  her  all 


12  NELLY'S    SILVER    MINE 

the  old  gentleman's  whims  about  sleeping,  and  that  he 
was  quite  willing  and  able  to  pay  whatever  the  queer 
stockings  would  cost.  In  a  very  few  weeks,  the  stock- 
ings were  all  done;  and  the  old  gentleman  was  so 
pleased  with  them  that  he  gave  the  woman  an  extra 
five-dollar  bill,  besides  the  sum  she  had  charged  for 
knitting  them.  And  this  was  the  way  that  there  came 
to  be  hanging  up  in  Nelly's  and  Rob's  chamber  two 
such  huge  stockings  on  this  Christmas  morning  of  which 
I  am  telling  you.  They  were  splendid  stockings  for 
Christmas  stockings !  It  did  really  seem  as  if  you  never 
would  get  to  the  bottonuof  them.  The  children  used 
to  lay  them  down  on  the  floor,  and  run  around  them, 
and  pull  out  thing  after  thing.  Mrs.  March  sometimes 
wished  they  were  not  quite  so  large;  it  took  a  great 
deal  to  fill  them :  but,  after  having  once  used  them,  she 
had  not  the  heart  to  go  back  to  the  ordinary-sized  stock 
ing,  for  it  would  have  been  such  a  disappointment  to 
the  children.  She  used  them,  first,  one  Christmas  when 
Nelly's  chief  present  was  a  big  doll  about  two  feet  and 
a  half  tall,  which  wore  real  baby  clothes  like  a  live  baby. 
This  was  so  big  it  could  not  go  into  a  common  stocking, 
and  Mrs.  March  happened  then  to  think  of  her  father's. 
The  old  gentleman  was  delighted  to  have  them  used  for 
the  purpose,  and  stood  by  laughing  hard,  while  Mrs. 
March  put  the  things  in. 

' i  Ha !  ha !  "  he  said,  l '  the  old  stockings  are  good 
for  more  than  one  thing:  aren't  they?  " 

But  we  are  leaving  Nelly  and  Rob  a  long  time  in  bed 
waiting  for  their  Christmas  presents.  It  grew  lighter 
and  lighter,  and  still  there  was  no  sound  in  the  house, 
and  the  room  grew  no  warmer.  Rob  was  so  thoroughly 
cross  that  he  lay  back  on  his  pillow,  with  his  eyes  shut 
and  his  lips  pouting  out,  and  would  not  speak  a  word. 
In  vain  Nelly  tried  to  comfort  him,  or  to  interest  him. 
He  would  not  speak.  Even  Nelly's  patience  was  nearly 


NELLY'S   NEW -ENGLAND   HOME  13 

worn  out.  At  last  the  door  of  their  mother 's  room 
opened,  and  she  came  out  in  her  warm  red  wrapper. 

* '  Why,  you  dear  patient  little  children !  ' '  she  ex- 
claimed ;  "are  you  in  bed  yet  ?  this  is  too  bad.  What 
does  make  your  room  so  cold !  Why,  bless  me !  "  she 
exclaimed,  going  to  the  register,  "  no  heat  is  coming 
up  here ;  what  does  this  mean  ?  ' : 

"  I  don't  think  Sarah  has  gone  down  yet:  I've  been 
awake  a  long  time,  mamma, ' '  said  Nelly. 

' '  A  thousand  years,  it  is, ' '  exclaimed  Rob,  '  '•  or  more, 
that  we  've  been  lying  awake  here  waiting :  Sarah 's  the 
meanest  girl  alive. ' ' 

"Hush,  hush,  Rob!"  said  Mrs.  March.  "Don't 
speak  so.  Perhaps  she  is  ill.  I  will  go  and  see.  But 
you  may  have  your  presents  on  the  bed;  "  and,  going 
to  the  closet,  she  took  down  first  the  gray  stocking, 
which  was  for  Rob,  and  carried  it  and  laid  it  on  his  bed. 
Then  she  carried  the  white  one,  and  laid  it  on  Nelly's 
bed. 

"  Oh,  goody,  goody!  ':  they  both  cried  at  once. 
"  You're  real  good,  mamma;  "  and  in  one  second  more 
all  four  of  the  little  arms  were  plunging  into  the  depths 
of  the  big  stockings. 

"  You've  earned  your  presents  this  time,"  said  Mrs. 
March,  as  she  pinned  warm  blankets  round  the  chil- 
dren's shoulders.  "  I  think  you  are  really  very  brave 
little  children  to  be  quiet  so  many  hours.  It  is  after 
eight  o  'clock.  I  am  afraid  Sarah  is  ill. ' ' 

Then  she  went  upstairs  and  the  children  heard  her 
knocking  at  Sarah's  door,  and  calling,  "  Sarah!  Sa- 
rah! "  Presently  she  came  down  very  quickly,  and 
went  into  her  room;  in  a  few  minutes,  she  went  back 
again,  and  Mr.  March  went  with  her.  Then  the  children 
heard  more  knocking,  and  their  papa  calling  very  loud, 
"  Sarah!  Sarah!  open  the  door  this  moment."  Then 
came  a  loud  crash. 


14  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

11  Papa's  smashed  the  door  in,"  said  Rob.  "  Good 
enough  for  her,  lazy  old  thing,  to  sleep  so  Christmas 
morning !  I  hope  mamma  won 't  give  her  any  present. ' ' 
Nelly  did  not  speak.  She  had  scarcely  heard  the  knock- 
ing or  the  calls :  she  was  so  absorbed  in  looking  at  her 
new  doll,  —  a  wax  doll  with  eyes  that  could  open  and 
shut.  To  have  such  a  doll  as  this  had  been  the  great 
desire  of  Nelly's  heart  for  years.  There  was  also  a 
beautiful  little  leather  trunk  full  of  clothes  for  the  doll, 
and  four  little  band-boxes,  each  with  a  hat  or  bonnet 
in  it.  There  was  a  bedstead  for  her  to  sleep  in,  and 
a  pretty  red  arm-chair  for  her  to  sit  in,  and  a  play 
piano,  which  could  make  a  little  real  music.  Then  there 
were  four  beautiful  new  books,  and  ever  so  many  pretty 
little  paper  boxes  with  different  sorts  of  candy  in  them : 
all  white  candy;  Mrs.  March  never  gave  her  children 
any  colored  candies. 

Rob  had  a  beautiful  kaleidoscope,  mounted  with  a 
handle  to  turn  it  round  by;  it  was  about  as  long  as 
Nelly's  doll,  and  as  he  drew  it  out  he  couldn't  imagine 
what  it  was.  Then  he  had  a  geographical  globe,  and  a 
paint-box,  and  four  new  volumes  of  Mayne  Reid's  sto- 
ries, and  the  same  number  of  boxes  of  candy  which 
Nelly  had. 

You  never  saw  two  happier  children  than  Rob  and 
Nelly  were  for  the  next  half-hour.  They  forgot  all 
about  the  cold,  about  Sarah,  and  about  having  had  to 
wait  so  long.  For  half  an  hour,  all  that  was  to  be  heard 
in  the  room  were  exclamations  from  one  to  the  other, 
such  as :  — 

"  Oh,  Nell!  see  this  picture!  >: 
11  Oh,  Rob !  look  at  this  lovely  bonnet !  " 
"  Nell,  this  is  the  splendidest  one  of  all." 
"  This  doll  is  bigger  than  Mary  Pratt 's:    I  know  it 
is.     Oh,  Rob!    don't  you  suppose  it  must  have  cost  a 
lot  of  money?  " 


NELLY'S   NEW -ENGLAND   HOME          15 

At  last  Mrs.  March  came  back  into  their  room,  look- 
ing very  much  annoyed. 

"  Well,  children,"  she  said,  "  we're  going  to  have  a 
droll  sort  of  Christmas.  Sarah  is  so  fast  asleep  we  can't 
wake  her  up,  and  your  papa  thinks  she  must  be  drunk. 
We  shall  have  to  cook  our  Christmas  dinner  ourselves. 
How  will  you  like  that  ?  ' ' 

11  Oh,  splendid,  mamma,  splendid!  Let  us  get  right 
up  now,"  cried  both  the  children,  eagerly  laying  down 
their  playthings. 

"  No,"  said  Mrs.  March.  "  Rob  must  not  get  up 
yet :  it  is  too  cold ;  but  you  may  get  up,  Nell,  and  help 
me  get  breakfast.  Can  you  leave  your  new  dolly?  " 

11  Oh,  yes,  mamma!  "  cried  Nelly,  "  indeed  I  can." 
And  laying  the  dolly  carefully  between  the  bed-clothes 
with  her  head  on  the  pillow,  she  kissed  her,  and  said, 
' '  Good-by,  dear  Josephine  Harriet :  you  won 't  be  very 
long  alone.  I  will  come  back  soon. ' ' 

Rob  burst  out  laughing.  "  What  a  name!  "  he  said, 
mimicking  Nelly.  l  i  Josephine  Harriet !  whoever  heard 
such  a  name  ?  ' ' 

'  *  I  think  it 's  a  real  pretty  name,  Rob, ' '  replied  Nelly. 
"  Boys  don't  know  any  thing  about  dolls'  names.  Be- 
sides, she  is  named  for  two  people:  Josephine  is  for 
that  poor,  dear,  beautiful  Empress  that  mamma  told  us 
about;  I've  always  thought  since  then  if  ever  I  had  a 
doll  handsome  enough,  I'd  name  her  after  her.  And 
Harriet  is  after  Hatty  Pratt.  I  love  Hatty  dearly,  and 
she's  named  two  dolls  after  me." 

"  Well,  I  shall  call  the  doll  the  Empress,  then,"  said 
Rob,  in  a  tone  intended  to  be  very  sarcastic. 

"Yes;  so  shall  I,"  replied  Nelly:  "  I  thought  of 
that.  It  will  sound  very  nice." 

Rob  looked  a  little  disappointed.  He  thought  it  would 
tease  Nelly  to  have  her  doll  called  "  The  Empress." 

1 1  No :  I  think  I  '11  call  her  Mrs.  Napoleon, ' '  said  he. 


16  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

"  Well,"  said  Nelly,  "  I  suppose  that  would  do,"  — 
Nelly  had  not  the  least  idea  that  Rob  was  making  fun 
of  her,  — ' '  but  I  don 't  believe  they  ever  called  the  real 
Empress  so.  I  don't  remember  it  in  the  story.  I'll 
ask  mamma.  I  think  Mrs.  Napoleon  is  a  beautiful 
name :  don 't  you,  Rob  ?  ' : 

By  this  time  Rob  was  too  deep  in  the  "  Cliff  Climb- 
ers ' ' —  one  of  his  new  books  —  to  answer ;  and  Nelly 
was  all  dressed  ready  to  go  downstairs.  As  she  left  the 
room,  Rob  called  out :  — 

"  I  say,  Nell,  tell  mamma  I  don't  want  any  break- 
fast. I  'd  rather  stay  in  bed  and  read  this  story. ' ' 

It  was  a  very  droll  Christmas-day,  but  the  children 
always  said  it  was  one  of  the  very  pleasantest  they  ever 
spent.  It  turned  out  that  the  cook  was  really  in  a 
heavy  drunken  sleep.  She  had  been  partly  under  the 
influence  of  liquor  when  she  went  to  bed  the  night  be- 
fore. That  was  the  reason  she  had  asked  Nelly  where 
they  would  be  sleeping  in  the  morning.  She  did  not 
know  what  she  was  saying  when  she  said  that.  Mr. 
March  went  and  brought  a  doctor  to  look  at  her  in  her 
sleep,  for  they  were  afraid  it  might  be  apoplexy;  but 
the  doctor  only  laughed,  and  said :  — 

"  Pshaw!  The  woman's  drunk.  Let  her  alone. 
She  '11  wake  up  by  noon. ' ' 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  felt  very  unhappy  about  this, 
for  Sarah  had  lived  with  them  two  years,  and  had  never 
done  such  a  thing  before.  She  did  not  wake  up  by 
noon,  as  the  doctor  had  said.  She  did  not  wake  up  till 
nearly  night;  and,  when  she  went  downstairs,  there 
were  Mrs.  March  and  Nelly  and  Rob  in  the  kitchen, 
all  at  work.  Mrs.  March  and  Nelly  were  washing  the 
dishes,  and  Rob  was  cleaning  the  knives.  They  had 
cooked  the  dinner  and  eaten  it,  and  cleared  every  thing 
away.  Sarah  dropped  into  a  chair,  and  looked  from 
one  to  the  other  without  speaking. 


NELLY'S   NEW -ENGLAND   HOME          17 

"  Hullo!  "  said  Rob,  "  you  cooked  us  a  nice  Christ- 
mas dinner :  didn  't  you  ?  We  'd  have  never  had  any  if 
we'd  waited  for  you." 

"  Do  you  feel  sick  now,  Sarah?  "  said  good-hearted 
little  Nelly. 

Sarah  did  not  speak.  Her  brain  was  not  yet  clear. 
She  looked  helplessly  from  Mrs.  March  to  the  children, 
and  from  the  children  to  Mrs.  March.  Then  she  rose 
and  walked  unsteadily  to  the  table,  and  tried  to  take 
the  towel  out  of  Nelly's  hands. 

11  Let  me  wipe  the  dishes,"  she  said:  "  my  head's 
better  now." 

11  No,  Sarah,"  said  Mrs.  March,  sternly.  "  Go  back 
to  your  room.  You're  not  yet  fit  to  be  on  your  feet." 

The  children  wondered  very  much  that  their  mamma, 
who  was  usually  so  kind,  should  speak  so  sternly  to 
Sarah;  but  they  asked  no  questions.  They  were  too 
full  of  the  excitement  of  doing  all  the  work,  and  look- 
ing at  their  presents,  and  talking  about  them.  The 
hours  flew  by  so  quickly  that  it  was  dark  before  they 
knew  it;  and,  when  they  went  to  bed,  they  both  ex- 
claimed together :  — 

"  Oh,  Nell!  "  and  "  Oh,  Rob!  hasn't  it  been  a  splen- 
did Christmas!  ': 

They  remembered  it  for  a  great  many  years,  for  it 
was  the  last  Christmas  they  spent  in  their  pleasant  home 
at  Mayfield. 


CHAPTER  II 

A  TALK  ABOUT  LEAVING  MAYFIELD 

THE  next  day  a  big  snow  fell.  It  was  one  of  those 
snows  which  fall  so  thick  and  fast  and  fine,  that 
when  you  look  out  of  the  windows  it  seems  as  if  great 
white  sheets  were  being  let  down  from  the  skies.  When 
Rob  first  waked  and  saw  this  snow  falling,  he  ex- 
claimed :  — 

* '  Hurrah !  here 's  a  bully  snow-storm  !  Now  we  '11 
get  some  snow-balling.  Say,  Nell,  won't  you  help  me 
build  a  real  big  snow-fort  with  high  walls  that  we  can 
stand  behind,  and  fire  snow-balls  at  the  boys?  " 

"  Oh,  Rob!  "  said  Nelly,  "I'm  afraid  mamma  won't 
let  you  play  in  the  snow  yet:  your  throat  isn't  well 
enough;  but  by  next  week  I  think  it  will  be.  We'll 
have  snow  right  along  now  all  winter." 

"  Oh,  dear!  "  said  Rob,  fretfully:  "  there  it  is  again. 
I  can 't  ever  do  any  thing  I  want  to. ' ' 

"  Why,  Rob,"  replied  Nelly,  "  aren't  you  ashamed 
of  yourself,  with  that  lovely  kaleidoscope  and  all  those 
books?  I  shouldn't  think  you'd  want  to  go  out  to-day. 
I'm  sure  I  don't.  I'd  rather  stay  at  home  with  Mrs. 
Napoleon  and  the  rest  of  my  dolls  all  day  than  go  any- 
where, —  that  is,  unless  it  was  to  take  a  sleigh-ride. 
Mamma  said  perhaps,  if  it  stopped  snowing,  papa  might 
take  us  on  a  sleigh-ride  this  afternoon." 

"  Did  she?  "  exclaimed  Rob;  "  oh,  bully!  But  then 
I  suppose  I  can't  go,"  he  added,  in  a  quite  altered 
tone. 


ABOUT   LEAVING   MAY  FIELD  19 

' '  Oh,  yes !  you  can, ' '  answered  Nelly,  * '  mamma  said 
so.  I  heard  her  tell  papa  it  would  do  you  good  to  go 
well  wrapped  up. ' ' 

"  I  hate  to  be  bundled  up  so,"  said  Rob.  "  It's  as 
hot  as  fury;  and,  besides,  it  makes  the  boys  laugh; 
last  time  I  went  out  so,  Ned  Saunders  he  stood  on  his 
father 's  store  steps,  when  we  stopped  there,  —  mamma 
wanted  to  buy  a  broom,  —  and  Ned  called  out,  '  By-by, 
baby  bunting,  where 's  your  little  rabbit  skin  ?  '  I  shan  't 
go  if  mamma  makes  me  wear  that  red  shawl,  so !  "  and 
Rob's  face  was  the  picture  of  misery. 

Nelly's  cheeks  flushed  at  the  thought  of  the  insulting 
taunt  to  Rob  which  was  conveyed  in  that  quotation 
from  Mother  Goose :  but  she  was  a  very  wise  and  clear- 
headed little  girl,  as  you  have  no  doubt  discovered  be- 
fore this  time,  and  she  knew  much  better  than  to  let 
Rob  think  she  felt  as  he  did  about  it;  so  all  she  said 
was,  "  I  don't  care:  I  shouldn't  mind.  If  Ned  Saun- 
ders had  the  sore  throat,  he'd  have  to  be  wrapped  up 
just  the  same  way.  Boys  are  a  great  deal  hatefuller 
than  girls.  No  girl  would  ever  say  such  a  thing  as  that 
to  a  girl  if  she  was  sick,  or  to  a  boy  either. ' ' 

"  No,  I  don't  suppose  they  would,"  said  Rob,  reflect- 
ively. "  Girls  are  nicer  than  boys  some  ways:  that's 
a  fact." 

In  the  excitement  of  the  Christmas  presents,  and  the 
getting  of  the  Christmas  dinner,  and  all  the  housework 
which  had  to  be  done  afterward,  Nelly  had  forgotten 
about  the  conversation  which  she  had  overheard  in  the 
night  between  her  father  and  mother.  But  in  the  quiet 
of  this  stormy  morning  it  all  came  back  to  her.  She 
and  Rob  were  spending  the  forenoon  in  the  place  which 
they  liked  best  in  all  the  house,  their  mother's  room. 
It  was  a  beautiful  sunny  chamber,  with  two  big  bay- 
windows  in  it,  —  one  looking  to  the  south,  and  one  to 
the  west;  the  south  window  looked  out  on  the  garden, 


20  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

and  the  west  window  looked  out  on  a  great  pine  grove 
which  was  only  a  few  rods  away  from  the  house;  on 
the  east  side  of  the  room  was  the  fireplace  with  a  low 
grate  set  in  it;  the  fire  burned  better  in  this  fire-place 
than  in  any  other  in  the  house,  the  children  thought. 
That  was  because  they  had  a  nice  time  every  night, 
sitting  down  a  while  in  front  of  this  fire  and  talking 
with  their  mother.  This  was  the  time  when  they  told 
her  things  they  didn  't  quite  like  to  tell  in  the  daytime ; 
and  this  was  the  time  she  always  took  to  tell  them  things 
she  was  anxious  they  should  remember.  They  associ- 
ated all  their  talks  with  the  bright  open  fire;  and, 
whenever  they  saw  the  flames  of  soft  coal  leaping  up 
and  shining,  they  remembered  a  great  many  things  their 
mother  had  said  to  them. 

There  was  a  large  old-fashioned  mahogany  table  on 
one  side  of  this  room,  which  Mrs.  March  used  for  cut- 
ting out  work,  and  which  the  children  liked  better  than 
any  thing  in  the  room.  It  had  droll  twisted  legs  which 
ended  in  knobs  and  castors,  and  it  had  big  leaves  fas- 
tened on  with  brass  hinges  which  opened  and  shut; 
when  these  leaves  were  open  the  table  was  so  big  that 
both  Rob  and  Nelly  could  be  up  on  it  at  once,  and  have 
plenty  of  room  for  their  things.  This  morning  their 
mother  had  let  them  open  it  out  to  its  full  size,  and 
push  it  close  up  in  one  corner  of  the  room,  so  that  the 
walls  made  a  fine  back  for  them  to  lean  against.  Nelly 
sat  on  one  side,  with  all  her  dolls  ranged  in  a  row  against 
the  wall,  Mrs.  Napoleon  at  the  head.  In  front  of  her, 
she  had  all  their  clothes  in  one  great  pile,  and  was 
sorting  and  arranging  them  in  the  little  bureau  and 
tt-unk  and  boxes  in  which  she  kept  them.  Rob  sat  op- 
posite her  with  his  feet  on  a  blanket  shawl,  so  that 
they  would  not  scratch  the  mahogany;  he  was  reading 
the  "  Cliff  Climbers, "  and  every  few  minutes  he  would 
break  out  with :  — 


Nelly  sat  on  one  side  with  all  her  dolls  ranged  in  a  row  against 
the  wall.  Pa'/e  20 


ABOUT   LEAVING   MAY  FIELD  21 

"  This  is  the  most  splendid  story  of  all  yet." 

"  Nell,  look  at  this  picture  of  them  going  up  over 
the  cliff  by  ropes.  Oh,  don't  I  just  wish  I  could  go 
to  some  such  place !  ' : 

After  a  while,  Nelly  leaned  her  head  back  against  the 
wall,  and  stopped  playing  with  her  dolls.  She  looked 
at  the  snow-storm  outside,  and  the  bright  fire  in  the 
grate,  and  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  mamma!  isn't  it  nice 
here?  " 

There  was  something  in  Nelly's  tone  which  made  her 
mother"  look  up  surprised. 

"  Why,  yes,  dear;  of  course  it  is  nice  here;  it  is 
always  nice  here;  what  made  you  think  of  it  just 
now?  " 

Nelly  March  was  one  of  the  honestest  little  girls  that 
ever  lived.  Nothing  seemed  to  her  so  dreadful  as  a  lie ; 
but  she  came  very  near  telling  one  now. 

"  I  don't  know,  mamma,"  she  said;  but,  almost  be- 
fore the  words  were  out  of  her  mouth,  she  added :  — 

"  Yes,  I  do  know,  too;  I  meant  I  didn't  want  to 
tell." 

"  Why  not?  my  little  daughter,"  said  Mrs.  March, 
looking  much  puzzled.  "  Surely  it  cannot  be  any  thing 
you  do  not  want  mamma  to  know." 

"  Oh,  no,  mamma!  it  is  something  you  didn't  want 
me  to  know,"  said  Nelly  hastily,  turning  very  red. 

"  Something  I  didn't  want  you  to  know,  Nell,"  she 
said.  "  What  do  you  mean?  And  how  did  you  know 
it  then?  " 

"  She  listened,  she  listened,"  cried  Rob,  throwing 
down  his  book,  "  and  she  wouldn't  tell  me  a  thing 
either,  and  she  was  real  mean. ' ' 

The  tears  came  into  Nelly's  eyes,  and  Mrs.  March 
looked  very  sternly  at  Rob. 

"  Rob,"  she  said,  "  telling  tales  is  as  mean  as  listen- 
ing: I'm  ashamed  of  you.  Nell,  what  does  he  mean?  " 


22  NELLY'S   SILVER   NINE 

Poor  Nelly  was  almost  crying. 

"  Indeed,  mamma,"  she  exclaimed,  "  I  didn't  listen; 
and  I  told  Rob  then  I  didn't;  he's  told  a  lie,  a  wicked 
lie,  and  he  ought  to  be  punished,  mamma;  he  knows 
it's  a  lie." 

11  It  ain't  either,"  shouted  Rob,  "  if  you  didn't  listen 
how'd  you  hear?  She  did  listen,  mamma,  and  now 
she 's  told  a  lie  too. ' ' 

Mrs.  March  threw  down  her  sewing,  and  walked 
quickly  across  the  room  to  the  table  where  the  children 
were  sitting,  She  put  one  hand  on  Nelly's  head,  and 
one  on  Rob's. 

"  My  dear  children,"  she  said,  "  you  shock  me.  Do 
think  what  you  are  saying :  this  is  a  bad  beginning  for 
the  new  year." 

"  'Tain't  New  Year  yet  for  a  week,"  muttered  Rob. 
11  This  needn't  count." 

Mrs.  March  laughed  in  spite  of  herself. 

"  Every  thing  counts,  Rob,  which  we  do,  whether  it 
is  the  beginning  of  a  New  Year  or  not.  Mamma  ought 
not  to  have  spoken  as  if  that  made  any  odds.  But  you 
must  not  accuse  each  other  of  lying.  That  is  a  most 
dreadful  thing.  I  know  neither  of  you  would  tell  a 
lie." 

"  Course  we  wouldn't,"  cried  both  the  children. 

"  Neither  would  Nelly  listen,  Rob,  in  any  such  sense 
as  you  meant,"  continued  Mrs.  March.  "  Sometimes 
we  overhear  things  when  we  do  not  mean  to. ' ' 

"  That's  just  the  way  it  was,  mamma,"  interrupted 
Nelly  eagerly ;  ' '  and  I  told  Rob  so :  it  was  in  the  night, 
night  before  last,  and  you  and  papa  were  talking,  and  I 
was  awake,  and  I  could  not  help  hearing,  and  I  coughed 
as  loud  as  I  could  for  you  to  hear." 

' l  Oh, ' '  said  Mrs.  March,  ' '  that  is  it,  is  it  ?  I  remem- 
ber you  coughed,  and  I  shut  the  door.  I  did  not  think 
you  were  awake,  but  I  was  afraid  we  should  waken 


ABOUT  LEAVING   MAY  FIELD  23 

you.  We  were  talking  about  going  away  from  this 
place. ' ' 

"  Yes,  mamma,"  said  Nelly,  in  a  sad  tone. 

"  Going  away!  Oh,  mamma,  are  we  really  going 
away?  oh,  where?  say  where,  mamma,  say  quick!  " 
cried  Rob,  throwing  down  his  "  Cliff  Climbers,"  and 
springing  from  the  table  to  the  floor  at  one  bound. 

' '  Gently,  gently,  wild  boy, ' '  said  Mrs.  March,  catch- 
ing Rob  by  one  arm  and  drawing  him  into  her  lap.  In 
spite  of  all  Rob's  ill  temper  and  selfishness,  I  think 
Mrs.  March  loved  him  a  little  better  than  she  loved 
Nelly.  Neither  Nelly  nor  Rob  dreamed  of  this,  and 
perhaps  Mrs.  March  never  was  conscious  of  it  herself; 
but  other  people  could  see  it. 

11  Why,  Rob,"  she  said,  "  would  you  be  glad  to  go 
away  from  this  house,  and  the  grove,  and  the  pond,  and 
from  all  your  friends,  and  go  to  live  in  a  strange  place 
where  you  didn't  know  anybody?  " 

Rob's  face  sobered. 

"  To  stay,  mamma?  "  he  said,  "  to  stay  always?  " 

Nelly  did  not  speak.  She  knew  more  about  this 
matter  than  Rob  did.  She  watched  her  mother's  face 
very  earnestly  and  sadly,  and  tears  filled  her  eyes  when 
Mrs.  March  answered :  — 

' '  I  am  afraid  so,  Rob :  *  if  we  go  I  do  not  believe  we 
shall  ever  come  back.  I  didn't  mean  to  let  you  know 
any  thing  about  it  till  it  was  all  settled.  But,  since  you 
have  heard  something  about  it,  I  will  tell  you  all  I 
know  myself.  Come  here,  Nelly;  both  of  you  sit  down 
now  at  my  feet,  and  I  will  talk  to  you  about  it. ' ' 

Nelly  and  Rob  sat  down  on  two  low  crickets  by  their 
mother's  knee,  and  looked  up  in  her  face  without  speak- 
ing. They  felt  that  something  very  serious  was  coming. 
Before  Mrs.  March  began  to  speak,  she  kissed  them 
both  several  times,  then  she  said :  — 

"  There  is  one  thing  I  am  very  sure  of:    both  my 


24  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

little  children  will  be  brave  and  good,  if  hard  times 
come. ' ' 

11  Oh,  mamma!  tell  us  quick;  don't  bother,"  inter- 
rupted impatient  Rob,  "  let's  know  what  it  is  quick, 
mamma.  Are  we  going  to  be  awful  poor,  like  the  peo- 
ple in  story  books  ?  I  don 't  care  if  we  are,  if  that 's  all. 
Let's  have  it  over." 

Mrs.  March  laughed  again:  one  reason  she  loved 
Rob  so  much  was  that  his  temper  was  so  much  like  her 
own.  It  had  been  very  hard  for  her  herself  to  learn  to 
be  patient,  and  to  be  sufficiently  moderate  in  her  speech ; 
and  even  now  there  was  nothing  in  the  world  she  dis- 
liked so  much  as  suspense  of  any  kind.  She  could  make 
up  her  mind  to  endure  almost  any  thing,  if  only  it 
were  fixed  and  settled.  So  when  Rob  burst  out  with 
impatient  speeches  like  this  one,  she  knew  exactly  how 
he  felt.  And  sometimes  when  Nelly  took  things  quietly 
and  calmly,  and  was  so  deliberate  in  all  her  movements, 
Mrs.  March  misunderstood  her,  and  thought  she  did 
not  really  care  about  any  thing  half  as  much  as  Rob 
did.  But  the  truth  was,  Nelly  really  cared  a  great  deal 
more  about  almost  everything,  than  he  did.  He  for- 
got things  in  a  day,  or  an  hour  even ;  sad  things,  pleas- 
ant things,  all  alike :  they  blew  away  from  Rob 's  mem- 
ory and  Rob's  heart  like  leaves  in  a  great  wind,  and 
he  never  thought  much  more  about  any  thing  than  just 
whether  he  liked  it  or  disliked  it  at  the  moment.  The 
phrase  he  used  to  his  mother  just  now  was  very  often 
on  his  lips,  "  Oh,  don't  bother!  "  Especially  he  used 
to  say  this  to  Nelly  whenever  she  tried  to  reason  with 
him  about  something  which  she  thought  not  quite  right 
or  not  quite  safe.  You  would  have  thought  to  hear 
them  talk  that  Nelly  was  at  least  five  years  older  than 
he :  she  talked  to  him  like  a  little  mother.  At  this  mo- 
ment, when  Rob  was  hurrying  his  mother  so  impatiently, 
Nelly  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  hush,  Rob!  do  let  mamma  tell 


ABOUT  LEAVING   MAYFIELD  25 

it  as  she  wants  to;  "  and  Nelly  drew  up  close  to  her 
mother's  side,  and  laid  her  cheek  down  on  her  mother's 
hand.  Nelly's  heart  was  as  full  as  it  could  be  of  sym- 
pathy: she  knew  that  her  mother  felt  very  unhappy 
about  going  away,  and  Nelly's  way  of  showing  her 
sympathy  was  to  be  very  loving  and  tender  and  quiet; 
but,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  this  did  not  comfort  and 
help  Mrs.  March  so  much  as  Rob's  off-hand  and  impa- 
tient way. 

"  Well,  but  she's  so  slow:  ain't  you  slow,  mamma? 
And  it 's  horrid  to  wait, ' '  replied  Rob. 

"  Yes,  Rob,"  laughed  Mrs.  March.  "  I  am  rather 
slow,  and  it  is  horrid  to  wait ;  but  I  won 't  be  slow  any 
longer :  this  is  what  papa  and  I  were  talking  about  the 
other  night,  —  about  going  out  to  Colorado  to  live. ' ' 

11  Colorado!  where 's  that?  Is  it  anywhere  near  the 
Himalayas  ?  ' '  cried  Rob.  "  If  it  is,  I  'd  like  to  go ;  oh, 
I  'd  like  to  go  ever  so  much. ' ' 

Mrs.  March  laughed  out  loud.  "  Oh  you  droll  Rob," 
she  said.  "  No,  it's  nowhere  near  the  Himalayas; 
but  there  are  mountains  there  about  as  high  as  the 
Himalayas,  —  higher  than  any  other  mountains  in 
America. ' ' 

"  Are  there  elephants?  "  said  Rob.  "  I  wouldn't 
mind  about  any  thing  if  there  are  only  elephants." 

1 1  Rob,  how  can  you !  ' '  burst  out  Nelly,  with  a  vehe- 
mence very  unusual  in  her.  "  How  can  you!  It's 
because  papa's  sick  that  we  are  going." 

"  Why,  what's  the  matter  with  papa?  "  said  Rob, 
wonderingly. 

Mr.  March  had  been  a  sufferer  from  asthma  for  so 
many  years  that  no  one  any  longer  thought  of  him  as 
an  invalid.  He  was  very  rarely  confined  to  the  house, 
and,  except  in  the  summer,  his  asthma  did  not  give  him 
a  great  deal  of  trouble;  but  in  the  summer  it  was  so 
bad  that  for  weeks  he  was  not  able  to  preach  at  all:  I 


26  ,      NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

believe  I  have  forgotten  all  this  time  to  tell  you  that  he 
was  a  minister.  I  have  been  so  busy  talking  about 
Nelly  and  Rob,  that  I  have  hardly  told  you  any  thing 
about  their  papa  and  mamma. 

Mr.  March  had  been  settled  in  this  village  of  May- 
field  for  fifteen  years,  and  the  people  loved  him  so  much 
that  they  would  not  hear  of  having  any  other  minister. 
When  his  asthma  was  so  bad  that  he  could  not  preach, 
they  hired  some  one  else;  always  in  the  summer  they 
gave  him  a  two-months'  vacation;  and,  whenever  any 
stranger  said  any  thing  unkind  about  his  asthmatic 
voice,  they  always  replied,  "  If  Mr.  March  couldn't 
preach  in  any  thing  more  than  a  whisper,  we'd  rather 
hear  him  than  any  other  man  living."  The  truth  was, 
that  they  had  grown  so  accustomed  to  the  asthmatic, 
wheezy  tone,  that  they  did  not  notice  it.  It  really  was 
very  unpleasant  to  a  stranger's  ear,  and  everybody  won- 
dered how  a  whole  congregation  of  people  could  endure 
it.  But  it  is  wonderful  how  much  love  can  do  to  recon- 
cile us  to  disagreeable  things  in  the  people  we  love ;  and 
not  only  to  reconcile  us  to  them,  but  to  make  us  forget 
them  entirely.  Nelly  and  Rob  never  thought  but  that 
their  father's  voice  was  as  pleasant  as  anybody's:  when 
his  breath  came  very  short  and  quick,  they  knew  he  was 
suffering,  but  at  other  times  they  did  not  remember  any 
thing  about  his  having  asthma ;  this  was  the  reason  that 
Rob  said  so  wonderingly  now :  — 

"  "Why,  what  is  the  matter  with  papa?  " 
Mrs.  March 's  voice  was  very  sad  as  she  replied :  — 
11  Only  his  asthma,  dear,  which  he  has  had  so  many 
years,  but  it  is  growing  much  worse ;   and  we  have  seen 
a  gentleman  lately  who  has  just  come  from  Colorado, 
and  he  says  that  people  never  have  asthma  at  all  there, 
and  the  doctor  says  if  papa  does  not  go  to  some  such 
climate  to  live,  he  will  get  "worse  and  worse,  so  that  he 
will  not  be  able  to  do  any  thing.    You  don't  know  how 


ABOUT  LEAVING   MAY  FIELD  27 

much  poor  papa  suffers,  even  here.  He  has  not  been 
able  to  lie  down  in  bed  for  almost  a  year  now;  ever 
since  early  last  summer. ' ' 

' '  Not  lie  down !  ' '  exclaimed  Nelly,  ' '  why,  what  does 
he  do,  mamma  ?  How  does  he  sleep  ?  ' ' 

11  He  sleeps  propped  up  with  pillows,  dear,  almost 
as  straight  as  he  would  be  in  a  chair,"  replied  Mrs. 
March. 

11  Oh,  dear,"  cried  Rob,  "  isn't  that  awful!  Why 
didn  't  you  ever  tell  us,  mamma  ?  Isn  't  he  awful  tired  ? 
What  makes  people  not  have  asthma  in  Colorado,  any- 
how? " 

"  Which  question  first,  Rob?  "  said  Mrs.  March.  "  I 
haven't  told  you,  because  papa  dislikes  very  much  to 
have  any  thing  said  about  it.  Yes:  he  is  very  tired 
all  the  time.  He  never  feels  rested  in  the  morning  as 
you  do.  I  don't  know  why  people  never  have  asthma 
in  Colorado;  but  I  think  it  must  be  because  the  air  is 
so  very  dry  there.  They  never  have  any  rain  there 
from  October  to  April,  and  the  country  is  very  high; 
some  of  the  towns  where  people  live  are  twice  as  high 
as  the  highest  mountains  you  ever  saw." 

"  Mamma!  "  exclaimed  Rob,  with  so  loud  and  ear- 
nest a  voice  that  both  Mrs.  March  and  Nelly  gave  a 
little  jump.  "  Mamma,  if  it's  the  being  so  high  up  that 
does  the  good,  why  couldn't  we  go  to  the  Himalayas 
instead  ?  Oh,  it 's  perfectly  splendid  there !  just  let 
me  read  you  about  it,"  and  Rob  ran  back  to  the  table 
for  his  "  Cliff  Climbers,"  and  was  about  to  begin  to 
read  aloud  from  it.  Mrs.  March  could  not  help  laugh- 
ing: and  Nelly  laughed  too;  for  Nelly,  although  she 
was  no  older  than  Rob,  was  very  much  ahead  of  him  in 
her  studies  at  school,  and  she  knew  very  well  where  the 
Himalaya  mountains  were,  and  that  there  would  be  no 
way  of  living  there  comfortably  even  if  it  were  not  quite 
too  far  to  go. 


28  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

"  But,  Rob,  —  "  began  Mrs.  March. 

' '  You  just  wait  till  I  read  you,  mamma, ' '  interrupted 
Rob ;  l  i  you  haven 't  read  the  '  Cliff  Climbers, '  and  you 
don't  know  any  thing  about  it.  Perhaps  the  doctors 
don't  know  how  many  good  things  grow  there;  and  the 
mountains  are  five  miles  high,  some  of  them.  I'm  sure 
papa  couldn't  have  the  asthma  as  high  up  as  that: 
could  he?  " 

li  My  dear  little  boy,"  said  Mrs.  March,  putting  her 
hand  on  the  book  and  shutting  it  up,  "  you  are  always 
too  hasty:  you  must  stop  and  listen.  Nobody  could 
live  five  miles  up  in  the  air.  That  would  be  as  much 
too  high  as  this  is  too  low;  and  things  which  sound 
very  fine  to  read  about  would  be  very  inconvenient  in 
real  life." 

"  Yes,"  interrupted  Rob,  "  an  elephant  tore  down 
their  cabin  one  night,  —  just  tramped  right  over  it,  and 
smashed  it  all  flat  as  we  would  an  ant-hill.  That 
wouldn't  be  very  nice:  but  we  needn't  live  where  the 
elephants  come;  we  could  just  go  out  to  hunt  them  in 
the  summer." 

Rob's  eyes  were  dark  blue,  and  when  he  was  eager 
and  excited  they  seemed  to  turn  black,  and  to  be  twice 
their  usual  size.  He  was  so  eager  now  that  his  eyes 
were  fairly  dancing  in  his  head.  He  was  possessed  of 
this  idea  about  going  to  live  in  the  Himalaya  moun- 
tains, and  nothing  could  stop  him. 

11  They're  all  heathen  there  too,  mamma,  and  wouldn't 
papa  like  that?  He  could  preach  to  them,  don't  you 
know?  Oh,  it  would  be  splendid!  and  I  could  collect 
seeds  just  like  these  cliff  climbers,  and  stuff  birds,  and 
make  lots  of  money  sending  them  back  to  this  country." 

"Oh,  Rob!"  exclaimed  Nelly,  at  last;  "do  stop 
talking,  and  let  mamma  talk:  she  hasn't  half  told  us 
yet.  It's  all  nonsense  about  the  Himalayas.  We 
couldn't  go  there;  nobody  goes  there.  I'll  just  show 


ABOUT  LEAVING   MAYFIELD  29 

you  on  your  new  globe  where  it  is,  and  you  can  see  for 
yourself."  So  saying,  Nelly  ran  for  the  globe,  and  was 
proceeding  to  show  Rob  what  a  long  journey  round  the 
world  it  would  be  to  reach  the  Himalayas;  but  Rob 
pushed  the  globe  away. 

"  I  don't  care  any  thing  about  the  old  globe,"  he 
said;  "  people  do  go  there,  for  Mayne  Reid's  books  are 
all  true ;  he  says  they  are,  and  it  isn  't  all  nonsense  about 
the  Himalayas ;  is  it,  mamma  ?  Couldn  't  we  go  there  ?  ' ' 

Rob  was  fast  growing  angry. 

1 1  No,  Rob, ' '  said  Mrs.  March :  "  we  cannot  go  to  the 
Himalayas  to  live;  that  is  very  certain.  One  of  these 
days,  when  you're  a  man,  I  hope  you  will  be  able  to  go 
all  about  the  world  and  see  all  these  countries  you  are 
so  fond  of  reading  about:  you  will  have  to  wait  till 
then  for  the  Himalayas.  If  we  go  away  from  home  at 
all,  we  must  go  to  Colorado.  That  is  quite  far  enough : 
it  will  take  us  four  whole  days  and  five  nights,  going 
just  as  fast  as  the  cars  can  go,  to  get  there. ' ' 

"  I  don't  care  where  we  go,  if  we  can't  go  to  the 
Himalayas,"  said  Rob,  sulkily.  "  I  think  it's  real 
mean  if  we've  got  to  go  away  not  to  go  there.  I  know 
it  would  be  real  good  for  papa." 

Mrs.  March  laughed  again  very  heartily. 

"  Rob,"  she  said,  "  you  are  a  very  queer  little  boy. 
Mamma  can't  understand  how  you  get  so  excited  over 
things  in  such  a  short  time.  A  few  minutes  ago  you 
had  never  thought  of  such  a  thing  as  going  to  the 
Himalayas ;  and  here  you  are  already  sure  that  it  would 
be  good  for  papa  to  go  there.  Why,  even  the  doctors 
are  not  sure  what  would  be  good  for  papa !  It  is  very 
hard  to  tell." 

11  Does  it  really  take  four  whole  days  and  five  nights 
to  get  to  Colorado  ?  ' '  asked  Rob.  He  had  already  given 
up  the  idea  of  the  Himalayas,  and  was  beginning  to 
think  about  Colorado.  Rob's  mind  moved  from  one 


30  NELLY'S    SILVER    MINE 

thing  to  another  as  quickly  as  a  weathercock  when  the 
wind  is  shifting. 

"  Yes:  four  whole  days  and  five  nights,"  said  Mrs. 
March;  "  or  else  four  nights  and  five  days,  according 
to  the  time  you  start. ' ' 

"  Five  days!  days!  Let's  start  so  as  to  make  it 
come  five  days;  so  as  to  see  all  we  can,"  ex- 
claimed Rob.  "  That's  splendid!  When  will  we  start, 
mamma?  >: 

"  It  isn't  really  sure,  is  it,  mamma,  that  we  are  to 
go?  "  asked  Nelly,  who  had  hardly  had  a  chance  yet  to 
speak  a  word:  Rob  had  been  talking  so  fast.  "  Does 
papa  want  to  go  ?  ' ! 

You  see  how  much  more  thoughtful  Nelly  was  for 
other  people  than  for  herself.  All  Rob  was  thinking  of 
was  what  good  times  might  come  of  this  journey;  but 
Nelly  was  thinking  how  hard  it  was  for  her  papa  and 
mamma  to  break  up  their  pleasant  home,  and  how 
sad  it  might  be  for  all  of  them  to  go  to  live  among 
strangers. 

* '  No,  dear, ' '  said  Mrs.  March.  ' '  Papa  does  not  want 
to  go  at  all.  It  is  very  hard  for  him  to  make  up  his 
mind  to  do  it.  And  I  do  not  want  to  go  either,  except 
on  papa's  account:  but  we  would  go  anywhere  in  the 
world  that  would  make  papa  well ;  wouldn  't  we  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  said  Nelly,  earnestly. 

"  Why  doesn't  papa  want  to  go?  "  cried  Rob. 
* '  There  '11  be  plenty  of  people  there  to  preach  to :  won 't 
there  ?  And  that 's  all  papa  cares  for. ' ' 

11  Papa  doesn't  like  to  leave  all  these  people  here  that 
he  has  preached  to  for  so  many  years:  he  loves  them 
all  very  much, ' '  replied  Mrs.  March ;  '  *  and  he  does  not 
expect  to  preach  any  more  if  he  goes  to  Colorado. 
There  are  not  a  great  many  villages  there ;  it  is  chiefly 
a  wild  new  country:  people  live  on  great  farms  and 
keep  large  herds  of  sheep  or  of  cows;  and  the  doctor 


ABOUT  LEAVING   MAY  FIELD  31 

wants  papa  to  be  a  farmer  and  work  out  of  doors,  and 
not  live  in  his  study  among  his  books  any  more. ' ' 

"  Be  a  farmer  like  Uncle  Alonzo?  "  exclaimed  Nelly. 
"  Oh,  mamma,  wouldn't  that  be  nice?  and  wouldn't 
papa  like  that?  He  always  has  a  good  time  when  he 
goes  to  Uncle  Alonzo's.  He  says  it  makes  him  feel  as 
if  he  was  a  boy  again.  And  oh,  mamma,  the  cows  are 
beautiful.  Don 't  you  like  cows,  mamma  ?  ' : 

Nelly  was  now  almost  as  excited  as  Rob.  She  had 
been  several  times  to  make  a  visit  at  her  Uncle  Alonzo's 
house.  He  was  a  rich  farmer,  and  had  big  barns,  and 
fields  full  of  raspberries  and  huckleberries,  and  a  beau- 
tiful pine  grove  close  to  the  house;  and  he  had  nearly 
a  hundred  cows,  and  used  to  make  butter  and  cheese  to 
sell,  and  both  Nelly  and  Rob  thought  there  was  nothing 
so  delightful  in  the  whole  world  as  to  stay  at  Uncle 
Alonzo  's. 

"  No,  dear,"  said  Mrs.  March.  "  I  can't  honestly 
say  I  do  like  cows.  I  am  so  silly  as  to  be  afraid  of  them. 
But  I  like  your  Uncle  Alonzo's  farm  very  much." 

"  Oh,  mamma,  how  can  you  be  afraid  of  a  cow!  " 
cried  Rob.  "  They  never  hurt  you." 

"  I  suppose  it's  because  I  am  a  coward,  Rob,"  an- 
swered Mrs.  March;  "  but  I  can't  help  it.  I  was  chased 
by  a  bull  once  when  I  was  a  girl ;  and,  ever  since  then, 
I  have  been  afraid  of  any  thing  which  has  horns  on  its 
head." 

"  Is  that  what  the  word  coward  comes  from, 
mamma?  "  asked  Rob:  "  does  it  mean  to  be  afraid  of 
a  cow  ?  ' ' 

"  I  guess  not,  Rob,"  said  Mrs.  March,  laughing. 
"  Don't  begin  to  make  puns,  Rob:  it  is  a  bad  habit." 

"  Puns!  "  said  Rob,  much  surprised:  "  what  is  a 
pun?  " 

Then  Mrs.  March  tried  to  explain  to  Rob  what  a  pun 
was,  but  it  was  very  hard  work;  and  I  don't  think  Rob 


32  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

understood,  after  all  her  explanations,  so  I  shall  not 
try  to  explain  it  to  you  here;  but  I  dare  say  a  great 
many  of  you  understand  what  a  pun  is,  and,  if  you  do, 
you  will  see  that  Rob  had  accidentally  made  rather  a 
good  pun,  for  a  little  boy  only  twelve  years  old,  when 
he  asked  if  a  coward  was  a  person  afraid  of  a  cow. 

Presently  the  dinner-bell  rang. 

"  Why,  mamma,"  exclaimed  both  the  children,  "  it 
isn't  dinner-time,  is  it?  " 

"  Yes,  it  really  is,"  said  Mrs.  March,  looking  at  her 
watch:  "  I  had  no  idea  it  was  so  late.  Where  has  the 
morning  gone  to  ?  " 

11  Gone  to  Colorado,"  exclaimed  Rob,  running  down- 
stairs, "  gone  to  Colorado!  Hurrah  for  Colorado." 

"  By  way  of  the  Himalayas,"  said  Nelly  behind  him, 
as  they  ran  downstairs. 

"  Be  still,  Nell,  can't  you,"  said  Rob,  half  vexed, 
half  laughing.  "  I  haven't  been  in  Geography  half  so 
long  as  you  have.  We  haven't  come  to  the  Himalayas 
yet." 

Mr.  March  was  just  coming  in  at  the  front-door.  He 
was  so  covered  with  snow  that  he  looked  like  a  snow- 
man; and  as  he  stamped  his  feet  on  the  door-mat,  and 
shook  off  the  snow  from  his  overcoat  and  hat  and  beard, 
there  seemed  to  be  quite  a  snow-storm  in  the  hall. 

"  Hurrah  for  Colorado,"  he  repeated.  "  What  does 
that  mean?  Who  is  going  to  Colorado?  " 

"  All  of  us,  papa;  all  of  us,  papa,"  cried  Rob. 
"  Mamma's  told  us  all  about  it,  so  you  can't  keep  it 
a  secret  any  longer." 

Mr.  March  looked  up  inquiringly  at  Mrs.  March,  who 
was  coming  down  the  stairs  behind  Nelly  and  Rob. 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  in  answer  to  his  inquiring  look. 
"  Yes.  I  have  told  the  children  all  about  it,  and  they 
are  both  wild  to  go,  though  Rob  thinks  the  Himalayas 
would  be  a  better  place  for  you. ' ' 


ABOUT   LEAVING   MAYFIELD  33 

Mr.  March  burst  into  a  loud  laugh. 

"  The  Himalayas!  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Why,  what  do 
you  know  about  the  Himalayas,  my  boy  ?  ' : 

It  was  rather  too  bad  to  laugh  at  Rob  so  much  about 
his  idea  of  the  Himalayas,  I  think;  because  almost  any 
boy  who  had  just  been  reading  Captain  Mayne  Reid's 
11  Cliff  Climbers,"  would  think  that  there  could  be  noth- 
ing in  this  life  half  so  fine  to  do  as  to  go  to  the  Hima- 
layas to  live.  Rob  took  it  very  good-naturedly  this  time, 
however. 

"  Not  any  thing,  papa,"  he  replied,  "  except  what 
is  in  that  book  you  gave  me,  the  '  Cliff  Climbers;  '  but 
that  says  some  of  the  mountains  are  five  miles  high, 
and  I  thought  that  would  cure  the  asthma,  to  go  up  as 
high  as  that.  Mamma  says  that's  what  we  are  going 
to  Colorado  for,  to  get  up  high,  to  cure  your  asthma." 

"  Papa,  we're  so  glad  to  go  if  it  will  make  you  bet- 
ter," said  Nelly,  taking  hold  of  her  father's  hand  with 
both  of  hers.  Mr.  March  stooped  over  and  kissed  Nelly 
on  her  forehead. 

' '  I  know  you  are, ' '  he  said :  ' '  you  are  papa 's  own 
little  comfort  always." 

Mr.  March  loved  both  of  his  children  very  dearly; 
but  Nelly  gave  him  more  pleasure  than  Rob  did.  He 
often  said  to  his  wife  when  they  were  alone:  "  Nelly 
never  gives  me  a  moment's  anxiety.  The  child  has  all 
the  traits  which  will  make  her  a  noble  and  a  useful  and 
a  happy  woman;  but  I  am  not  so  sure  about  Rob.  I 
am  afraid  we  shall  have  trouble  with  him."  And  Mrs. 
March  always  replied:  "  It  is  very  true  all  you  say 
about  Nelly.  She  is  a  thoroughly  good  child;  but  you 
are  quite  mistaken  about  Rob.  He  is  very  hasty  and 
impulsive ;  but  he  will  come  out  all  right.  He  has  twice 
Nelly's  cleverness,  though  he  is  so  backward  about  his 
books.  You'll  see." 

"I'm  glad  too,  papa,"  cried  Rob,  "  just  as  glad  as 


34  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

any  thing.  It  will  be  splendid  to  live  on  a  farm.  Shall 
you  wear  blue  overalls  like  Uncle  Alonzo  ?  And  will  you 
let  me  help  milk  ?  And  can 't  I  have  a  bull  pup  ?  I  'm 
going  to  call  him  CaBsar." 

"  Well,  upon  my  word,  young  people, "  said  Mr. 
March;  and  he  looked  at  his  wife  when  he  spoke,  "  you 
seem  to  have  got  this  thing  pretty  well  settled  between 
you.  I  don't  know  that  we  are  going  to  Colorado  at 
all :  after  dinner  we  will  all  sit  down  together  and  talk 
it  over.  I  've  got  a  letter  here  ' '  —  and  he  took  a  big 
envelope  out  of  his  pocket  — "  from  a  gentleman  I 
wrote  to  in  Colorado,  and  he  has  sent  me  some  pictures 
of  different  places  there,  and  of  some  of  the  strange 
rocks.  We  can't  have  our  sleigh-ride  this  afternoon; 
it  is  not  going  to  stop  snowing :  so  we  may  as  well  take 
a  journey  to  Colorado  on  paper;  perhaps  it  will  be  the 
only  way  we  shall  ever  go." 

Rob  and  Nelly  could  hardly  eat  their  dinner:  they 
were  so  eager  to  see  the  Colorado  pictures  and  to  hear 
all  about  the  country. 

As  Mr.  March  looked  at  their  eager  faces,  he  sighed, 
and  thought  to  himself :  — 

' '  Dear  little  souls !  They  have  no  idea  of  what  is 
before  them  if  we  go  to  Colorado.  It  is  as  well  they 
haven't." 

"  What  makes  you  look  so  sad,  papa?  "  said  Nelly. 

"Did  I  look  sad,  Nelly?  "  replied  Mr.  March.  "  I 
didn't  mean  to.  I  was  thinking  how  delighted  you  and 
Rob  seemed  at  the  idea  of  going  to  Colorado,  and  think- 
ing that  you  would  probably  find  it  very  different  from 
what  you  expect.  You  would  not  be  so  comfortable 
there  as  you  are  here." 

"  Isn't  there  enough  to  eat  out  there?  "  asked  Rob, 
anxiously. 

"  Oh,  yes!  "  said  Mr.  March,  laughing,  "  plenty  to 
eat" 


ABOUT  LEAVING  MAY  FIELD  35 

"  Well,  that's  all  I  care  for,"  said  Rob.  "  Oh,  papa, 
do  hurry!  you  never  ate  your  dinner  so  slow  before. 
I've  been  done  ever  so  long.  Can't  I  be  excused,  and 
go  and  read  till  you  're  ready  to  show  us  the  pictures  ?  ' ' 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  March,  "  you  may  both  go  up  into 
my  room ;  and,  as  soon  as  papa  and  I  have  finished  our 
dinner,  we  will  come  up  there  and  have  our  talk. ' ' 

Mrs.  March  wished  to  have  a  little  conversation  alone 
with  her  husband  before  their  talk  with  the  children. 
She  told  him  about  Nelly's  having  accidentally  over- 
heard what  they  were  saying  in  the  night;  "  so  I 
thought  I  would  tell  them  all  about  it,"  she  said. 

11  Certainly,  certainly,"  said  Mr.  March.  "  There  is 
no  reason  they  should  not  know.  Even  if  we  do  not 
go,  no  harm  can  come  of  it." 

Then  she  told  him  of  the  obstinate  notion  Rob  had 
taken  into  his  head  about  the  Himalayas,  and  how  hard 
it  had  been  to  convince  him  that  they  ought  not  to  set 
off  for  those  mountains  at  once.  Mr.  March  was  laugh- 
ing very  heartily  over  this  as  they  went  up  the  stairs, 
and,  as  they  entered  the  room,  Rob  said :  — 

"  What  are  you  and  mamma  laughing  so  about, 
papa?  7! 

Mrs.  March  gave  her  husband  a  meaning  look,  in- 
tended to  warn  him  not  to  tell  Rob  that  they  were  laugh- 
ing at  him;  but  Mr.  March  did  not  understand  her 
glance. 

"  Laughing  at  your  fierce  desire  to  start  off  for  the 
Himalayas,  Rob, '  *  he  said. 

"  I  don't  care,"  said  Rob:  "I'm  going  there  some 
day.  You  just  read  the  '  Cliff  Climbers, '  and  see  if  you 
don't  think  so  too.  I'll  take  you  and  mamma  and  Nell 
there  when  I'm  a  man  and  have  money  enough;  see 
if  I  don't." 

"  Well,  well,  Rob,  we'll  go  when  that  time  comes, 
if  we're  not  too  old  when  you're  rich  enough  to  pay  all 


36  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

that  the  journey  costs.  I've  always  thought  I  should 
like  to  go  round  the  world, ' '  said  Mr.  March ;  ' '  but  now 
we'll  look  at  the  Colorado  pictures." 

Then  they  sat  down,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  on  the 
lounge  in  front  of  the  fire,  Nelly  in  her  father 's  lap,  and 
Rob  perched  up  on  the  back  of  the  lounge  behind  his 
mother,  so  that  he  could  look  over  her  shoulder. 

The  first  picture  Mr.  March  took  out  of  the  envelope 
was  one  which  looked  like  the  picture  of  two  gigantic 
legs  and  feet  wrong  side  up. 

"  Oh,  what  big  feet!  "  exclaimed  Rob.  "  Do  giants 
live  in  Colorado  ?  ' ' 

Mr.  March  turned  the  picture  the  other  side  up. 

' '  They  are  rocks,  Rob, ' '  he  said,  '  *  not  feet ;  but  they 
do  look  like  feet,  that's  a  fact.  These  are  some  of  the 
rocks  in  a  place  called  Monument  Park,  because  it  is 
so  full  of  these  queer  rocks.  Here  are  some  more  of 
them :  they  are  of  very  strange  shapes.  Here  are  some 
that  look  like  women  walking  with  big  hoop-skirts  on, 
and  some  like  posts  with  round  caps  on  their  heads; 
and  here  is  a  picture  of  a  place  where  so  many  of  these 
rocks  are  scattered  among  the  trees,  that  they  look  like 
people  walking  about.  Here  is  one  group  which  has 
been  called  the  '  Quaker  Wedding.'  : 

"  Oh,  let  me  see  that!  let  me  see  that!  "  exclaimed 
Nelly.  l '  How  queer  to  call  rocks  Quakers !  ' : 

"  I  don't  see  that  they  look  very  much  like  men  and 
women,  after  all, ' '  added  she  as  she  studied  the  picture ; 
'  '  but  they  don 't  look  like  any  rocks  I  ever  saw.  I  think 
I  should  be  afraid  of  them.  They  look  alive. ' ' 

"  Pooh!  "  said  Rob,  "  I  shouldn't  be.  Rocks  can't 
stir.  Show  us  some  more,  papa." 

The  next  pictures  were  of  beautiful  waterfalls :  there 
were  three  of  them,  —  one  of  seven  falls,  one  above  the 
other,  and  one  of  a  beautiful  fall,  very  narrow,  hemmed 
in  between  rocks,  with  tall  pine-trees  growing  about  it. 


ABOUT  LEAVING  MAYFIELD  37 

The  next  was  of  a  high  mountain  with  snow  half  way 
down  its  sides,  and  a  great  many  lower  mountains  all 
around  it.  This  was  called  Pike's  Peak. 

1 '  Oh,  papa !  ' '  said  Nelly,  ' '  could  we  live  where  we 
could  see  that  mountain  all  the  time  ?  ' : 

"  Perhaps  so,  Nell,"  answered  her  father,  smiling  at 
her  eagerness :  ' '  would  you  like  to  ?  " 

Nelly  was  looking  at  the  picture  intently,  and  did  not 
reply  for  a  moment.  Then  she  said :  — 

"  Papa,  I  think  it  would  keep  us  good  all  the  time 
to  look  at  that  mountain." 

"  Why,  Nell,"  said  her  mother,  "  I  didn't  know  you 
cared  so  much  for  mountains.  You  never  said  so." 

"  I  never  saw  a  real  mountain  before,"  said  Nelly. 
"  This  isn't  a  bit  like  Mount  Saycross." 

The  town  of  Mayfield  was  in  one  of  the  pleasantest 
counties  in  Massachusetts.  The  region  was  very  beau- 
tifully wooded,  and  had  several  small  rivers  in  it,  and 
one  range  of  low  hills  called  the  Saycross  Hills;  the 
highest  of  these  was  perhaps  three  thousand  feet  high, 
and  Nelly  had  spent  many  a  day  on  its  top :  but  she 
had  never  seen  any  thing  which  gave  her  any  idea  of 
the  grandeur  of  a  high  mountain  till  she  saw  this  pic- 
ture of  Pike's  Peak.  It  seemed  as  if  she  could  not  take 
her  eyes  away  from  this  picture:  she  looked  at  it  as 
one  looks  at  the  picture  of  the  face  of  a  friend. 

"  Oh  papa!  "  she  exclaimed  at  last,  "  let  me  have 
this  picture  for  my  own :  won't  you?  I '11  be  very,  very 
careful  of  it. ' ' 

"  Yes,  you  may  have  it  if  you  want  it  so  much," 
replied  Mr.  March,  "  but  be  very  sure  not  to  lose  it. 
I  may  want  to  show  it  to  some  one,  any  day." 

"  I  won't  lose  it,  papa,"  said  Nelly,  in  a  tone  of  so 
much  feeling  that  her  father  looked  at  her  in  surprise. 

"  Why,  Nell,"  he  said,  "  you  must  be  a  born  moun- 
taineer I  think." 


38  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

And  so  she  was.  From  the  day  she  first  looked  on 
this  picture  of  Pike's  Peak  till  the  day  when  she  stood 
at  the  foot  of  the  real  mountain  itself,  it  was  seldom 
out  of  her  mind.  She  kept  the  little  card  in  the  box 
with  Mrs.  Napoleon's  best  bonnet  and  gown,  and  she 
talked  so  much  about  it  that  her  father  called  her  his 
"  little  Pike's  Peak  girl." 

The  rest  of  the  pictures  were  of  some  of  the  towns 
in  Colorado,  some  ranches,  —  ranch  is  the  word  which 
the  Coloradoans  use  instead  of  farm,  —  and  some  beau- 
tiful canyons.  A  canyon  is  either  a  narrow  valley  with 
very  high  steep  sides  to  it,  or  a  chasm  between  two 
rocky  walls.  The  most  beautiful  and  wonderful  things 
in  Colorado  are  the  canyons:  they  all  have  streams  of 
water  running  through  them;  in  fact,  the  canyons  may 
be  said  to  be  roads  which  rivers  and  creeks  have  made 
for  themselves  among  the  mountains.  Sometimes  the 
river  has  cut  a  road  for  itself  right  down  through  solid 
rock,  twelve  hundred  feet  deep.  You  can  think  how 
deep  that  must  be,  by  looking  at  the  walls  of  the  room 
you  are  sitting  in,  as  you  read  this  story.  Probably 
the  walls  of  your  room  are  about  ten  feet  high.  Now 
imagine  walls  of  rock  one  hundred  and  twenty  times  as 
high  as  that;  and  only  far  enough  apart  for  a  small 
river  to  go  through  at  the  bottom;  and  then  imagine 
beautiful  great  pine-trees,  and  many  sorts  of  shrubs 
and  flowers  growing  all  the  way  down  these  sides,  and 
along  the  upper  edges  of  them,  and  don't  you  see  what 
a  wonderful  place  a  canyon  must  be?  You  mustn't 
think  either  that  they  are  just  straight  up  and  down 
walls,  such  as  a  mason  might  build  out  of  bricks,  or 
that  they  run  straight  in  one  direction  for  their  whole 
length.  They  are  made  up  often  of  great  rocks  as  big 
as  houses  piled  one  on  top  of  another,  and  all  rough 
and  full  of  points,  and  with  big  caves  in  them;  and 
they  turn  and  twist,  just  as  the  river  has  turned  and 


ABOUT  LEAVING   MAY  FIELD  39 

twisted,  to  the  north  or  south  or  east  or  west.  Some- 
times they  take  such  sharp  turns  that,  when  you  look 
ahead,  all  you  can  see  is  the  big  high  wall  right  before 
you,  and  it  looks  as  if  you  couldn't  go  any  farther;  but, 
when  you  go  a  few  steps  nearer,  you  will  see  that  both 
the  high  walls  bend  off  to  the  right  or  the  left,  and  the 
river  is  still  running  between  them,  and  you  can  go 
right  on.  One  of  the  prettiest  pictures  which  Mr. 
March's  friend  had  sent  him  was  of  a  canyon  called 
Boulder  Canyon.  It  is  named  after  the  town  of  Boulder, 
which  is  very  near  it.  This  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
canyons  in  all  Colorado.  It  is  very  narrow,  for  the 
creek  which  made  it  is  a  small  creek ;  but  the  bed  of  the 
creek  is  full  of  great  rocks,  and  the  creek  just  goes  tum- 
bling head  over  heels,  if  a  creek  can  be  said  to  have  head 
and  heels.  Ten  miles  long  this  canyon  is,  and  the  creek 
is  in  a  white  foam  all  the  way.  There  is  just  room  for 
the  road  by  side  of  the  creek;  first  one  side  and  then 
the  other.  I  think  it  crosses  the  creek  as  many  as 
twenty-five  times  in  the  ten  miles;  and  it  is  shaded  all 
the  way  by  beautiful  trees,  and  flowers  grow  in  every 
crevice  of  the  rocks,  and  along  the  edge  of  the  water. 
As  Rob  and  Nelly  looked  at  picture  after  picture  of 
these  beautiful  places,  they  grew  more  and  more  ex- 
cited. Rob  could  not  keep  still :  he  jumped  down  from 
his  perch  behind  his  mother's  shoulder,  and  ran  round 
to  his  father's  knee.  "  Papa,  papa!  say  you'll  go?  say 
you  '11  go  ?  "  and  Nelly  said  in  her  quieter  way :  — 

1 1  Oh  papa !  I  didn  't  know  there  were  such  beautiful 
places  in  the  world.  Don't  you  think  we'll  go?  " 

Pretty  soon  it  grew  too  dark  to  look  at  the  pictures 
any  longer,  and  Mrs.  March  sent  the  children  down- 
stairs to  play  in  the  dining-room  by  the  fire-light. 

After  they  had  gone,  she  said  to  her  husband: 
"  Doesn't  it  make  you  more  willing  to  go,  Robert,  to 
see  how  eager  the  children  are  for  it?  " 


40  NELLY'S   SILVER  MINE 

Mr.  March  sighed. 

"  I  do  not  know,  Sarah,"  he  said.  "  Their  feelings 
are  very  soon  changed  one  way  or  the  other.  A  little 
discomfort  would  soon  make  them  unhappy.  I  have 
great  fears  about  the  rough  life  out  there,  both  for 
them  and  for  you. ' ' 

"  I  wish  you  would  not  think  so  much  about  that/' 
replied  Mrs.  March.  "  I  am  convinced  that  you  exag- 
gerate it.  I  am  not  in  the  least  afraid ;  and  as  for  the 
children  they  are  so  young  they  would  soon  grow  accus- 
tomed to  any  thing.  Of  course  there  would  be  no  dan- 
ger of  our  not  being  able  to  have  good  plain  food ;  and 
that  is  the  only  real  necessity. ' ' 

"  But  you  seem  to  forget,  Sarah,  about  schools.  How 
are  we  to  educate  the  children  there  ?  ' 3 

"  Teach  them  ourselves,  Robert,"  replied  Mrs.  March 
earnestly.  "  It  will  be  better  for  them  in  every  way. 
Such  an  out-door  life  as  they  will  lead  there  is  ten  times 
better  than  all  the  schools  in  the  world.  Oh,  Robert !  if 
you  can  only  be  well  and  strong,  we  shall  be  perfectly 
happy.  I  am  as  eager  to  go  as  the  children  are." 

Mrs.  March  had  been  from  the  beginning  in  favor  of 
the  move.  In  fact,  except  for  her,  Mr.  March  would 
never  have  thought  of  it.  He  was  a  patient  and  quiet 
man,  and  would  have  gone  on  bearing  the  suffering  of 
his  asthma  till  he  died,  without  thinking  of  the  possi- 
bility of  escaping  it  by  so  great  a  change  as  the  going 
to  a  new  country  to  live.  It  was  "well  for  him  that  he 
had  a  wife  of  a  different  nature.  Mrs.  March  had  no 
patience  with  people  who,  as  she  said,  would  "  put 
up  with  any  thing,  rather  than  take  trouble."  Mrs. 
March's  way  was  never  to  "  put  up  "  with  any  thing 
which  was  wrong,  unless  she  had  tried  every  possible 
way  of  righting  it.  Then,  when  she  was  convinced  that 
it  couldn't  be  righted,  she  would  make  the  best  of  it, 
and  not  grumble  or  be  discontented.  Which  way  do  you 


ABOUT  LEAVING   MAYFIELD  41 

think  was  the  best  ?  —  Mr.  March 's  or  Mrs.  March  'si  I 
think  Mrs.  March's  was;  and  I  think  Rob  and  Nelly 
were  very  fortunate  children  to  have  a  mother  who 
taught  them  such  a  good  doctrine  of  life.  This  is  the 
way  she  would  have  put  it,  if  she  had  been  going  to 
write  it  out  in  rules. 

First.  If  you  don't  like  a  thing,  try  with  all  your 
might  to  make  it  as  you  do  like  it. 

Second.  If  you  can't  possibly  make  it  as  you  like 
it,  stop  thinking  about  it :  let  it  go. 

There  was  a  very  wise  man,  who  lived  hundreds  and 
hundreds  of  years  ago,  who  said  very  much  the  same 
thing,  only  in  different  words.  I  don't  know  whether 
Mrs.  March  ever  heard  of  him  or  not.  His  name  was 
Epictetus,  and  he  was  only  a  poor  slave.  But  he  said 
so  many  wise  things  that  men  kept  them  and  printed 
them  in  a  book;  and  one  of  the  things  he  said  was 
this :  — 

"  There  are  things  which  are  within  our  power,  and 
there  are  things  which  are  beyond  our  power.  Seek  at 
once  to  be  able  to  say  to  every  unpleasing  semblance: 
'  You  are  but  a  semblance,  and  by  no  means  the  real 
thing.'  And  then  examine  it  by  those  rules  which  you 
have ;  and  first  and  chiefly  by  this :  whether  it  concerns 
the  things  which  are  within  our  own  power,  or  those 
which  are  not;  and  if  it  concerns  any  thing  beyond 
our  power,  be  prepared  to  say  that  it  is  nothing  to  you." 

I  think  this  would  be  a  good  rule  for  all  of  us  to  copy 
and  pin  up  on  the  door  of  our  rooms,  to  read  every 
morning  before  we  go  downstairs.  Some  of  the  words 
sound  a  little  hard  to  understand  at  first :  but  after  they 
are  explained  to  you  they  wouldn't  seem  so;  and  if  we 
all  lived  up  to  this  rule,  we  should  always  be  contented. 

Late  in  the  evening,  after  the  children  had  gone  to 
bed,  as  Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  sat  talking  over  their  plans, 
there  came  a  loud  ring  at  the  door-bell. 


42  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

11  I  think  that  is  Deacon  Plummer,"  said  Mr.  March. 
11  He  said  he  would  come  in  to-night  and  talk  over 
Colorado.  He  has  been  thinking  for  some  time  of  go- 
ing out  there;  and,  if  we  go,  I  think  he  will  go  too." 

"  Will  he,  really?  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  March.  "  And 
Mrs.  Plummer  ?  What  a  help  that  would  be !  ' : 

"  Yes,  it  would  be  a  great  advantage,"  said  Mr. 
March.  "  He  is  the  best  farmer  in  all  this  region,  and 
as  honest  as  the  day  is  long ;  and,  queer  as  he  is,  I  like 
him,  I  believe,  better  than  any  deacon  I've  ever  had." 

"  And  he  likes  you  too,"  said  Mrs.  March.  "I  be- 
lieve if  he  goes  now,  it  will  be  only  to  go  with  you ;  or, 
at  least,  partly  for  that.  Mrs.  Plummer 's  health,  I  sup- 
pose, is  one  reason." 

"  Yes,  that  is  it,"  said  Mr.  March.  "  The  doctors 
say  she  must  go  to  Florida  next  winter:  she  can't  stand 
another  of  our  winters  here;  and  Mr.  Plummer  says 
he'd  rather  break  up  altogether  and  move  to  a  new 
place,  than  be  always  journeying  back  and  forth." 

Just  as  Mr.  March  pronounced  these  words,  the  door 
opened,  and  Deacon  and  Mrs.  Plummer  appeared. 
They  were  a  very  droll  little  couple:  they  were  very 
short  and  very  thin  and  very  wrinkled.  Deacon  Plum- 
mer had  little  round  black  eyes,  and  Mrs.  Plummer  had 
little  round  blue  eyes.  Deacon  Plummer  had  thin  black 
hair,  which  was  very  stiff,  and  never  would  lie  down 
flat,  and  Mrs.  Plummer  had  very  thin  white  hair,  which 
was  as  soft  as  a  baby's,  and  always  clung  as  close  to 
her  head  as  if  it  had  been  glued  on.  It  was  so  thin 
that  the  skin  of  her  head  showed  through,  pink,  in 
many  places;  and,  except  for  the  little  round  knot  of 
hair  at  the  back,  you  might  have  taken  it  for  a  baby's 
head.  Deacon  Plummer  always  spoke  very  fast  and 
very  loud,  so  loud  that  at  first  you  jumped,  and  won- 
dered if  he  thought  everybody  was  deaf.  Mrs.  Plummer 
always  spoke  in  a  little  fine  squeaky  voice,  and  had  to 


ABOUT  LEAVING   MAY  FIELD  43 

stop  to  cough  every  few  minutes,  so  it  took  her  a  great 
while  to  say  any  thing.  Deacon  Plummer  very  seldom 
smiled,  and  looked  quite  fierce.  Mrs.  Plummer  had  a 
habit  of  smiling  most  of  the  time,  and  looked  so  good- 
natured  she  looked  almost  silly.  She  was  not  silly,  how- 
ever: she  was  sensible,  and  was  one  of  the  best  house- 
keepers and  cooks  in  all  Mayfield.  She  was  famous  for 
*  making  good  crullers ;  and,  whenever  she  came  to  Mr. 
March's  house,  she  always  brought  four  crullers  in  her 
pocket,  —  two  for  Rob  and  two  for  Nelly.  As  soon  as 
she  came  into  the  room  this  night,  she  began  fumbling 
in  her  pocket,  saying :  — 

"  Good  evening,  Mrs.  March.  How  do  you  do,  Mr. 
March?  "  (cough,  cough).  "  I've  brought  a  cruller  " 
(cough,  cough)  "  for  the  "  (cough,  cough)  "  children. 
Dear  me  "  (cough,  cough),  "  they're  crumbled  up  " 
(cough,  cough).  "  I  got  a  leetle  too  much  lard  in  'em, 
jest  a  leetle,  and  the  leastest  speck  too  much  lard '11  make 
em  crumble  like  any  thing  "  (cough,  cough)  ;  "  but 
I  reckon  the  crumbs '11  taste  good  "  (cough,  cough) 
"  if  they  be  crumbled  "  (cough,  cough)  ;  and,  going 
to  the  table,  she  turned  her  pocket  wrong  side  out,  and 
emptied  upon  a  newspaper  a  large  pile  of  small  bits 
of  cruller.  "  Do  you  think  they'll  mind  their  being  " 
(cough,  cough)  "  crumbled  up?  "  (cough,  cough) 
"  'twas  only  my  spectacle  case  "  (cough,  cough)  "  did 
it,"  she  said,  looking  anxiously  at  the  crumbs. 

1 1  Call  'em  crumblers !  call  'em  crumblers, ' '  said  Dea- 
con Plummer,  laughing  hard  at  his  own  joke,  and  rub- 
bing his  hands  together  before  the  fire;  "  tell  the 
children  they're  a  new  kind,  called  crumblers." 

"Oh!  the  children  won't  mind,"  said  Mrs.  March, 
politely,  and  she  brought  a  glass  dish  from  the  closet, 
and,  filling  it  with  the  crumbs,  covered  it  with  a  red 
napkin,  and  set  it  on  the  sideboard.  "  There,"  said 
she,  "  as  soon  as  Rob  comes  downstairs  in  the  morning, 


44  BELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

he  will  peep  into  this  dish,  and  the  first  thing  he  will 
say  will  be,  *  I  know  who 's  been  here :  Mrs.  Plummer  's 
been  here.  I  know  her  crullers/  That's  what  he  al- 
ways says  when  he  finds  your  crullers  on  the  side- 
board." 

Mrs.  Plummer 's  little  blue  eyes  twinkled  with  pleas- 
ure, so  that  the  wrinkles  around  their  corners  all  folded 
together  like  the  sticks  of  an  umbrella  shutting  up. 

"  Does  he  now,  really?  "  she  said.  "  The  dear  little 
fellow!  Children  always  does  like  crullers." 

"  Grumblers;  call  'em  crumblers, "  shouted  the  Dea- 
con. "  That's  the  best  name  for  'em  anyhow." 

11  Well,  Parson,"  he  said,  "  how's  Colorado?  Heard 
any  thing  more?  Me  an'  my  wife's  gettin'  more'n  more 
inter  the  notion  of  goin',  that  is,  ef  you  go.  We  shan't 
pick  up  an'  go  off  by  ourselves;  we're  too  old,  an'  we 
ain  't  used  enough  to  travellin ' :  but  ef  you  go,  we  go ; 
that's  about  fixed,  ain't  it,  'Lizy?  "  and  he  looked  at 
his  wife  and  then  at  Mr.  March  and  then  at  Mrs.  March, 
with  his  queer  little  quick,  fierce  glance,  as  if  he  had 
said  something  very  warlike,  and  everybody  were  going 
to  contradict  him  at  once. 

"Yes"  (cough,  cough),  "I  expect  we'd  better" 
(cough,  cough)  "  go  'long;  't  seems  kinder  "  (cough, 
cough)  "  providential  like  our  all  goin'  '  (cough, 
cough)  "  together  so.  Don't  you  think  "  (cough, 
cough)  "  so,  Mrs.  March?  Be  ye  sure  "  (cough,  cough) 
"  ye  'd  like  to  have  us  go  ?  "  replied  Mrs.  Plummer. 

' '  Oh,  yes,  indeed !  ' '  said  Mrs.  March.  ' '  Mr.  March 
was  just  speaking  of  it  when  you  came  in  how  much  he 
would  like  to  have  Deacon  Plummer  go.  Mr.  March 
knows  very  little  about  farming,  though  he  was  brought 
up  on  a  farm,  and  he  will  be  very  glad  of  Deacon  Plum- 
mer's  help;  and  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  see  two  May- 
field  faces  there.  I  expect  to  be  lonely  sometimes." 

"  Lonely,   ma'am,   lonely!  "  spoke  up   the  Deacon: 


ABOUT   LEAVING   MAY  FIELD  45 

"  can't  be  lonely,  ma'am.  Don't  think  of  such  a  thing, 
ma'am,  with  the  youngsters,  ma'am,  and  me  an'  my 
wife,  ma'am,  an'  the  Parson.  I'd  like  to  see  you  have 
a  lonesome  minnit,  ma'am;  "  and  the  Deacon  looked 
round  on  them  all  again  with  his  quick,  fierce  look. 

Mr.  March  laughed.  "  It  seems  to  be  shutting  in 
all  round  us,  Sarah,  to  take  us  to  Colorado:  doesn't 
it?" 

"  It  isn't  two  hours,"  he  continued,  turning  to  Dea- 
con Plummer,  "  since  the  children  left  us  to  go  to  bed, 
with  their  heads  so  full  of  Colorado  and  their  desire 
to  set  out  for  the  country  immediately,  that  I  am  afraid 
they  haven't  shut  their  eyes  yet.  And  as  for  Nelly, 
she's  gone  to  bed  with  a  picture  of  Pike's  Peak  in  her 
hand." 

' '  Picture !  Have  ye  got  pictures  of  the  country 
round  about  there?  "  interrupted  the  Deacon.  "I'd 
like  to  see  'em,  Parson;  so'd  Elizy.  She  was  a  won- 
derin'  how  'twould  look  in  them  parts.  She  hain't  trav- 
elled none,  Elizy  hain't,  since  she  was  a  gal.  I  hain't 
never  been  much  of  a  hand  to  stir  away  from  home,  an' 
I  donno  now  what's  taken  me  so  sudden  to  go  so  far 
away;  but  I  expect  it's  providential." 

Mr.  March  took  the  Colorado  pictures  out  of  the  big 
envelope  again,  and  showed  them  to  Deacon  and  Mrs. 
Plummer.  They  were  as  interested  in  them  as  Rob  and 
Nelly  had  been,  and  it  made  Mrs.  March  laugh  to  think 
how  much  the  old  man  and  his  wife,  bending  over  the 
pictures,  looked  like  Rob  and  Nelly  suddenly  changed 
from  ten  years  old  to  sixty.  Mrs.  Plummer  did  not  say 
much.  Her  spectacles  were  not  quite  strong  enough  for 
her  eyes.  She  had  been  for  a  whole  year  thinking  of 
getting  a  new  pair,  and  she  wished  to-night  she  had 
done  so,  for  she  could  not  see  any  thing  in  the  stereo- 
scope distinctly.  But  she,  saw  enough  to  fill  her  with 
wonder  and  delight,  and  make  her  impatient  to  go  to 


46  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

the  country  where  there  were  such  beautiful  sights  to 
be  seen.  As  for  the  Deacon,  he  could  hardly  contain 
himself:  in  his  excitement,  he  slapped  Mr.  March's 
knee,  and  exclaimed :  — 

' '  By  golly,  —  beg  your  pardon  sir,  —  but  this  must 
be  the  greatest  country  goin'.  It'd  pay  to  go  jest  to 
see  it,  ef  we  didn't  any  more  'n  look  round  'n  come 
right  home  again.  Don't  you  think  so,  Elizy?  " 

The  enthusiasm  of  these  good  old  people,  and  the 
eager  wishes  of  the  children  produced  a  great  impres- 
sion on  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  March.  It  did  really  seem 
as  if  every  thing  showed  that  they  ought  to  go;  and, 
before  Deacon  and  Mrs.  Plummer  went  home,  it  was 
about  decided  that  the  plan  should  be  carried  out. 

Deacon  Plummer  was  for  starting  immediately. 

"  I'll  jest  turn  the  key  in  my  house,"  he  said,  "  'n 
start  right  along;  'n  you'd  better  do  the  same  thing; 
we  don't  want  to  be  left  without  a  roof  to  come  back  to 
ef  things  turns  out  different  from  what  we  expect;  ef 
we  settle,  we  kin  come  back  'n  sell  out  afterwards;  'n 
the  sooner  we  git  there  the  better,  afore  the  heavy 
snows  set  in. ' ' 

"  But  they  don't  have  heavy  snows  in  Colorado,  not 
in  the  part  where  we  are  going, ' '  said  Mr.  March :  ' '  the 
cattle  run  out  in  the  open  fields  all  winter." 

' '  You  don 't  mean  to  tell  me  so !  "  exclaimed  the 
Deacon.  "  What  a  country  to  live  in!  I  should  think 
everybody 'd  go  into  raisin'  cattle  afore  any  thing  else." 

"  I  think  that  is  one  of  the  best  things  to  do  there," 
replied  Mr.  March.  "  I  have  already  made  up  my 
mind  to  that.  And  there  is  nothing  I  should  enjoy 
more.  And  between  your  farming  and  my  herds  of 
cattle,  we  ought  to  make  a  good  living.  Deacon,  come 
round  in  the  morning  and  we'll  talk  it  over  more,  and 
see  what  time  it's  best  to  start." 

At  breakfast  the  next  morning,  Mr.  March  told  Rob 


ABOUT   LEAVING   MAY  FIELD  47 

and  Nelly  that  it  was  decided  that  they  would  move  out 
to  Colorado.  The  two  children  received  the  news  very 
differently.  Nelly  dropped  her  knife  and  fork,  and 
looked  steadily  in  her  father's  face  for  a  full  minute: 
her  cheeks  grew  red,  and  she  drew  in  a  long  breath, 
and  said,  "  Oh !  oh !  ' '  That  was  all  she  said ;  but  her 
face  was  radiant  with  happiness.  Rob  bounded  out  of 
his  chair,  flew  to  his  mother  and  gave  her  a  kiss,  then 
to  his  father  and  gave  him  a  great  hug,  and  then  he 
gave  a  regular  Indian  war-whoop,  as  he  ran  back  to  his 
seat. 

'  *  Rob !  Rob !  you  must  not  be  so  boisterous, ' '  ex- 
claimed his  mother;  but  she  was  laughing  as  hard  as 
she  could  laugh,  and  Rob  knew  she  was  not  really  dis- 
pleased with  him. 

"  Oh  Nell,  Nell!  "  cried  Rob,  "  isn't  it  splendid? 
why  don't  you  say  any  thing?  " 

11  I  can't,"  replied  Nelly.  But  her  cheeks  were  grow- 
ing redder  and  redder  every  minute,  and  her  father  saw 
that  tears  were  coming  in  her  eyes. 

"  Why,  Nell,"  he  said,  "  you  are  not  sorry,  are  you? 
I  thought  you  wanted  to  go. ' ' 

"  Oh,  so  I  do,  papa,"  exclaimed  Nelly;  "  I  want  to 
go  so  much  that  I  can 't  believe  it. ' ' 

Mr.  March  smiled.  He  understood  Nelly  better  than 
her  mother  did. 


CHAPTER    III 

OFF    FOE    COLORADO 

IT  was  finally  decided  that  it  would  be  best  not  to  set 
out  for  Colorado  until  the  middle  of  March.  There 
were  many  things  to  be  arranged  and  provided  for, 
and  Mr.  March  did  not  wish  to  leave  the  people  of  his 
parish  too  suddenly.  Afterward  he  wished  that  he  had 
gone  away  immediately,  as  soon  as  his  decision  was 
made;  for  the  ten  weeks  that  he  waited  were  merely 
ten  long  weeks  of  good-bye.  Everybody  loved  him,  and 
was  sorry  he  was  going;  and  there  was  not  a  day  that 
somebody  did  not  come  in  to  hear  the  whole  story  over 
again,  why  he  was  going,  when  he  was  going,  where  he 
was  going,  and  all  about  it.  At  last  Mrs.  March  grew 
so  tired  of  talking  it  all  over  and  over,  that  she  said 
to  people :  "  I  really  can 't  talk  any  more  about  it.  We 
are  not  going  till  the  fifteenth  of  March,  but  I  wish  it 
were  to-morrow."  After  the  first  two  or  three  weeks, 
Rob  and  Nelly  lost  much  of  their  interest  in  talking 
it  over;  two  months  ahead  seemed  to  them  just  as  far 
off  as  two  years;  and  they  did  not  more  than  half  be- 
lieve they  would  ever  really  go.  But  when  the  packing 
began,  all  their  old  interest  and  enthusiasm  returned, 
and  they  could  not  keep  quiet  a  moment.  Nelly's  great 
anxiety  was  to  decide  whether  she  would  better  carry 
Mrs.  Napoleon  in  her  arms  all  the  way  or  let  her  go 
in  a  trunk.  She  said  to  her  mother  that  she  really 
thought  Mrs.  Napoleon  would  go  safer  in  her  arms  than 


OFF   FOR    COLORADO  49 

anywhere  else.  "  You  see,  mamma,  I  should  never  lay 
her  down  a  single  minute,  and  how  could  any  thing 
happen  to  her  then?  But  in  the  trunk  she  would  be 
shaken  and  jolted  all  the  time."  The  truth  was,  Nelly 
was  very  proud  of  Mrs.  Napoleon,  and  she  secretly  had 
thought  to  herself,  "  I  expect  there'll  be  a  great  many 
little  girls  in  the  cars:  in  four  whole  days,  there  must 
be ;  and  they  would  all  like  to  see  such  a  beautiful  doll. ' ' 

Mrs.  March  understood  this  feeling  in  Nelly  perfectly 
well,  and  it  amused  her  very  much  to  see  how  Nelly 
was  trying  to  deceive  herself  about  it. 

"  But,  Nelly,"  she  said,  "  the  cars  will  be  full  of 
cinders  and  dust,  and  they  will  be  sure  to  stick  to  the 
wax.  Her  face  would  get  dirty  in  a  single  day,  and 
you  can't  wash  it  as  you  do  Pocahontas 's.  Don't  you 
think  you'd  better  carry  Pocahontas  instead?  " 

Pocahontas  was  Nelly's  next  best  doll:  she  was  the 
big  one  I  told  you  about;  the  one  that  was  almost  the 
size  of  a  real  live  baby;  the  one  which  was  so  big  that 
it  made  Mrs.  March  first  think  of  using  her  father's  great 
stockings  to  hang  up  for  Christmas  stockings  for  the 
children. 

"  Oh,  mamma!  "  said  Nelly:  "  Pocahontas  is  too 
heavy;  and  I  don't  care  half  so  much  for  her  as  for 
dear  beautiful  Josephine.  I  shouldn't  care  very  much 
if  Pocahontas  did  get  broken,  but  if  any  thing  were 
to  happen  to  the  Empress  it  would  be  dreadful.  Do  let 
me  carry  her,  mamma.  I  '11  make  her  a  beautiful  water- 
proof cloak  just  like  mine ;  and  she  can  wear  two  veils 
just  as  you  do  on  the  water." 

"  Very  well,  Nelly,  you  can  do  as  you  like,"  replied 
her  mother;  "  but  I  warn  you  that  you  will  wish  the 
doll  out  of  the  way  a  great  many  times  before  we  reach 
our  journey's  end;  and  I  am  afraid  her  looks  will  be 
entirely  spoiled." 

"  Oh,    no,    mamma!  "    replied    Nelly,    confidently. 


50  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

li  You'll  see  you  haven't  the  least  idea  what  good  care 
I  shall  take  of  her." 

At  last  the  day  came  when  the  last  box  was  shut  and 
nailed  and  corded,  the  last  leather  bag  locked,  the  last 
bundle  rolled  up  and  strapped;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
March,  and  Rob  and  Nelly,  and  little  Deacon  Plummer 
and  his  good  little  wife,  all  stood  on  the  doorsteps  of 
the  parsonage  waiting  for  the  stage,  which  was  to  carry 
them  ten  miles  to  the  railway  station  where  they  were 
to  take  the  cars.  Mrs.  Napoleon  really  looked  very 
pretty  in  her  long  water-proof  cloak;  it  was  of  bright 
blue  lined  with  scarlet;  and  she  wore  a  dark  blue  hat 
with  a  little  bit  of  scarlet  feather  in  it,  to  match  her 
cloak;  and  she  had  a  dark  blue  veil,  two  thicknesses  of 
it,  pinned  very  tight  over  her  face  and  hat ;  Nelly  held 
her  hugged  tight  in  her  arms,  and  never  put  her  down. 

"  Oh,  my!  before  I'd  be  bothered  with  a  doll  to 
carry, ' '  exclaimed  Rob,  looking  at  Nelly,  —  * '  leave  her 
behind.  Give  her  to  Mary  Pratt.  You  won't  care  for 
dolls  out  in  Colorado.  I  know  you  won't." 

Nelly  gave  Rob  a  look  which  would  have  melted  the 
heart  of  an  older  boy;  but  Rob  was  not  to  be  melted. 

"  Oh,  you  needn't  look  that  way!  "  he  said.  "  A 
doll 's  a  plague :  I  heard  mamma  tell  you  so  too,  so  now, 
there,"  he  added  triumphantly.  Nelly  walked  away  in 
silence,  and  only  hugged  Mrs.  Napoleon  tighter,  and 
Mr.  March,  who  had  been  watching  the  scene,  said  to 
his  wife :  ' '  Look  at  that  motherly  little  thing.  The 
doll 's  the  same  to  her  as  a  baby  to  you. ' ' 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  March,  "  but  Rob's  right  after  all. 
It  '11  be  a  great  bother  having  that  wax  doll  along ;  but 
I  thought  it  was  better  to  let  Nelly  see  for  herself.  I 
dare  say  she'll  forget  it,  and  leave  it  at  the  first  place 
where  we  change  cars." 

"  Not  she,"  said  Mr.  March.  "  You  don't  know 
Nelly  half  so  well  as  I  do,  Sarah,  if  she  is  your  own 


OFF   FOE    COLORADO  51 

child.  Nelly 'd  carry  that  doll  all  round  the  world  and 
never  lay  it  down." 

"  We'll  see,"  said  Mrs.  March,  laughing.  Mr.  March 
was  a  little  vexed  at  his  wife  for  saying  this;  and  he 
privately  resolved  that  he  would  keep  an  eye  on  Mrs. 
Napoleon  himself  all  through  the  journey,  and  see  that 
she  was  not  left  behind  at  any  station. 

Four  days  and  four  nights  in  the  cars,  going,  going, 
going  every  minute,  night  and  day,  dark  and  light, 
asleep  and  awake:  nobody  has  any  idea  what  such  a 
journey  is  till  he  takes  it.  Poor  old  Deacon  Plummer 
and  Mrs.  Plummer  were  so  tired  by  the  end  of  the  sec- 
ond day  that  they  looked  about  ninety  years  old. 

"  Deary  me!  "  Mrs.  Plummer  said  a  dozen  times  a 
day.  "  It's  a  great  deal  farther  than  I  thought." 

' '  I  told  you,  Elizy,  it  was  four  days  and  four  nights, ' ' 
the  Deacon  always  replied;  "  but  I  suppose  you  didn't 
sense  it  no  more'n  I  did.  Nobody  couldn't  believe  the 
joltin'  'd  be  so  wearin'.  I  feel's  if  my  bones  was  all 
jelly  in  my  skin,"  and  the  poor  old  man  moved  as  if 
they  were.  He  reeled  when  he  walked;  and,  at  each 
lurch  the  cars  gave,  he  would  catch  hold  of  any  thing 
or  anybody  who  happened  to  be  near  him.  If  it  were 
a  person,  he  would  apologize  most  humbly:  but  if  the 
car  gave  another  lurch,  even  while  he  was  apologizing, 
he  would  clutch  hold  again,  just  as  hard  as  before,  at 
which  the  person  would  walk  away  quite  offended ;  and 
very  soon  everybody  in  the  car  tried  to  keep  out  of  the 
old  man's  way,  they  were  so  afraid  of  being  violently 
laid  hold  of  by  him. 

Rob  and  Nelly  did  not  mind  the  jolting ;  did  not  mind 
the  lurches  the  cars  gave ;  did  not  mind  the  cinders,  the 
dust,  the  noise.  They  were  having  the  best  time  they 
ever  had  in  their  lives.  For  the  first  two  days  of  their 
journey,  they  were  in  what  is  called  "  The  drawing- 
room,"  in  the  sleeping-car.  I  wonder  if  I  could  make 


52  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

those  of  you  who  have  never  been  in  a  sleeping-car 
understand  about  this  little  room.    I  will  try. 

Most  of  the  sleeping-cars  have  merely  shelves  along 
the  sides  in  the  place  where  the  seats  are  in  the  ordinary 
day-cars:  curtains  are  hung  in  front  of  these  shelves, 
and  they  are  parted  off  from  each  other  like  the  shelves 
in  a  long  cupboard.  In  the  daytime,  these  shelves  are 
folded  away  and  fastened  up  against  the  walls,  and 
seats  left  below  them.  At  night  when  people  are  ready 
to  go  to  bed,  the  shelves  are  let  down,  and  the  curtains 
put  up  in  front  of  them,  and  each  person  climbs  up  on 
his  shelf,  and  undresses  behind  the  curtain,  and  goes 
to  bed.  I  forgot  to  say  that  a  very  good  little  bed  is 
made  up  on  each  shelf.  A  man  who  has  the  care  of 
the  car,  and  who  is  called  the  porter,  makes  these  beds. 
This  is  the  way  it  is  in  nearly  all  the  sleeping-cars. 
But  there  are  some  cars  which  have,  besides  these,  a 
nice  little  room  walled  off  at  one  end.  It  has  seats  for 
two  people  on  each  side;  and  these  seats  are  made  into 
comfortable  beds  at  night.  It  has  two  windows  which 
open  on  the  outside  of  the  car,  and  two  which  open  on 
the  narrow  aisle  of  the  car ;  these  four  windows  are  all 
your  own,  if  you  have  hired  the  whole  little  room  for 
yourself.  You  can  have  them  either  open  or  shut,  just 
as  you  like,  and  nobody  else  has  any  right  to  say  any 
thing  about  it,  which  is  a  great  comfort ;  in  the  ordinary 
car,  you  know  there  is  always  somebody  just  behind 
you  or  just  before  you  who  is  either  too  hot  or  too  cold, 
and  wants  the  windows  shut  when  you  want  them  open, 
or  open  when  you  want  them  shut.  This  little  room 
has  a  door  at  each  end  of  it.  One  opens  into  the  car 
where  the  rest  of  the  people  are  sitting.  The  other 
opens  into  a  nice  little  closet  where  there  is  a  wash- 
bowl and  water,  and  you  can  take  a  bath  comfortably. 
At  night  the  porter  comes  and  hangs  up  curtains  across 
these  doors,  because  they  have  glass  in  the  tops  of  them; 


OFF   FOR    COLORADO  53 

then  he  draws  the  curtains  at  your  windows;  then  he 
lights  a  lamp  which  hangs  in  the  middle  of  the  ceiling 
in  your  room :  and  there  you  are  shut  up  in  as  cunning 
a  little  bedroom  as  you  would  ever  want  to  see;  and 
almost  as  snug  and  private  as  you  could  be  in  your  own 
bedroom.  You  can  undress  and  go  to  bed  comfortably; 
and,  unless  the  jolting  of  the  car  keeps  you  awake, 
you  can  sleep  all  night  as  soundly  as  you  would  at 
home. 

Rob  and  Nelly  were  delighted  with  this  little  room. 
So  was  Mrs.  March.  She  hung  up  their  cloaks  and  hats 
on  the  hooks,  and  took  out  their  books  and  papers,  and 
made  the  little  room  look  like  home.  Nelly  propped 
Mrs.  Napoleon  up  in  one  corner  of  one  of  the  red  vel- 
vet arm-chairs,  and  took  off  her  blue  veils,  for  there 
seemed  to  be  no  dust  at  all.  ' '  I  wish  I  'd  brought  Poca- 
hontas  too,"  said  Nelly:  "  there  is  so  much  room,  and 
dolls  do  look  so  nice  travelling  like  other  people." 

"  People!  "  laughed  Rob.     "  Dolls  ain't  people." 

"  They  are  too,"  said  Nelly.  "  People  are  men  and 
women,  and  there  are  boy  dolls  and  girl  dolls  and  women 
dolls  and  men  dolls. ' ' 

' '  Mamma,  are  dolls  people  ?  ' '  asked  Rob,  vehemently. 
' '  Nell  says  they  are,  and  I  say  they  ain  't.  They  ain  't : 
are  they?  " 

"  Not  live  people,"  said  Mrs.  March:  "  Nell  didn't 
mean  that." 

' '  Oh,  no !  "  said  Nelly ;  1 1  but  they  're  play  people, 
and  you  can't  be  sure  they  don't  know  any  thing  just 
because  they  don't  speak.  I  eould  go  a  whole  year  with- 
out speaking  if  I  tried  to. ' ' 

"  I  believe  you  could,"  laughed  Mrs.  March;  "  but 
Rob  couldn't." 

'  *  Not  I, ' '  said  Rob.  ' '  What 's  the  use  ?  I  like  to  talk. 
Nell's  a  dumb-cat:  that's  what  she  is." 

"  I  can  talk  if  I've  a  mind  to,"  retorted  Nelly;  "  but 


54  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

I  don 't  want  to ;  that  is,  not  very  often :  I  don 't  see  the 
use  in  it." 

This  is  the  way  it  always  was  with  Rob  and  Nelly. 
Dearly  as  they  loved  each  other,  they  never  thought 
alike  about  any  thing :  but  for  that  very  reason  they  did 
each  other  good ;  much  more  than  if  they  had  been  just 
alike. 

When  it  was  time  for  breakfast  or  for  dinner,  the 
black  porter,  whose  name  was  Charley,  brought  in  a 
little  square  table  and  set  it  up  as  firm  as  he  could 
between  the  seats.  Then  Mr.  March  lifted  up  the  big 
luncheon-basket  on  one  of  the  chairs,  and  Mrs.  March 
took  out  her  spirit-lamp,  and  they  had  great  fun  cook- 
ing. There  was  a  saucepan  which  fitted  over  the  spirit- 
lamp,  and  the  flame  of  the  spirit-lamp  was  so  large  that 
water  boiled  in  this  saucepan  in  a  very  few  minutes. 
Mrs.  March  could  make  tea  or  chocolate  or  coffee :  she 
could  boil  eggs,  or  warm  up  beef  soup ;  then,  after  they 
had  eaten  all  they  wanted,  they  heated  more  water  in 
the  same  saucepan  and  washed  their  dishes  in  it.  At 
first,  this  seemed  dreadful  to  Nelly,  who  was  a  very 
neat  little  girl. 

'  *  Oh,  mamma, ' '  she  said,  ' '  how  horrid  to  cook  in  the 
same  pan  you  wash  dishes  in!  "  But  Mrs.  March 
laughed  at  her,  and  told  her  that  when  people  were 
travelling  they  could  not  afford  to  be  so  particular. 

It  was  only  for  the  first  two  days  and  nights  of  their 
journey  that  they  had  this  comfortable  little  room.  On 
the  morning  of  the  third  day  they  reached  Kansas  City, 
and  there  they  had  to  change  cars.  They  sat  in  a  large 
and  crowded  waiting-room,  while  Mr.  March  went  to 
see  about  the  tickets.  Nelly  and  Eob  looked  with  great 
astonishment  on  every  thing  they  saw.  They  seemed 
already  to  have  come  into  a  new  world.  The  people 
looked  strange,  and  a  great  many  of  them  were  speak- 
ing German.  There  were  whole  families  —  father, 


OFF   FOR    COLORADO  55 

mother,  and  perhaps  half-a-dozen  little  children  —  sit- 
ting on  the  railway  platforms,  on  big  chests,  which 
were  tied  up  with  strong  ropes.  They  had  great  feather- 
beds,  too,  tied  in  bundles  and  bulging  out  all  round  the 
ropes.  Their  faces  were  very  red,  and  their  clothes 
were  old  and  patched:  if  Nelly  had  met  them  in  the 
lanes  of  Mayfield,  she  would  have  taken  them  for  beg- 
gars; but  here  they  were  travelling  just  like  herself, 
going  the  same  way  too,  for  she  watched  several  of  them 
getting  into  the  same  train.  Then  there  were  groups 
of  men  in  leather  clothes,  with  their  boots  reaching  up 
to  their  knees,  and  powder-horns  slung  across  their 
shoulders.  They  all  carried  rifles:  some  of  them  had 
two  or  three;  and  one  of  them,  as  he  stepped  on  the 
platform,  threw  down  a  dead  deer;  another  carried  a 
splendid  pair  of  antlers.  Nelly  took  hold  of  Rob 's  hand 
and  walked  very  cautiously  nearer  the  dead  deer. 

"  Oh,  Rob!  "  she  said,  "  it's  a  real  deer.  There  is  a 
picture  of  one  in  my  Geography  with  just  such  horns 
as  these." 

Nelly  was  carrying  Mrs.  Napoleon  hugged  up  very 
tight  in  her  arms;  but  she  had  not  observed  that,  in 
the  jostling  of  the  crowd,  Mrs.  Napoleon  had  somehow 
turned  her  head  round  as  if  she  were  looking  backward 
over  Nelly's  shoulder.  Neither  had  she  observed  that 
two  little  girls  were  following  closely  behind  her,  jab- 
bering German  as  fast  as  they  could,  and  pointing  to 
the  doll.  Presently,  she  felt  her  gown  pulled  gently. 
She  turned  round,  and  there  were  the  two  little  girls, 
both  with  outstretched  hands,  talking  as  fast  as  mag- 
pies, and  much  more  unintelligibly.  Each  of  them  took 
hold  of  Nelly's  gown  again,  and  made  signs  to  her  that 
she  should  let  them  take  the  doll.  They  looked  so  eager 
that  it  seemed  as  if  they  would  snatch  the  doll  out  of 
her  hands :  the  words  they  spoke  sounded  so  thick  and 
strange  that  it  half  frightened  Nelly.  "  Oh,  dear  me, 


56  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

Rob!  "  she  exclaimed;  "  do  tell  them  to  go  away.  Go 
away,  good  little  girls,  go  away!  "  she  said,  pleadingly. 
' '  I  can 't  let  you  take  her. ' ' 

' '  Clear  out !  "  said  Rob,  roughly,  taking  hold  of  one 
of  them  by  the  shoulder  and  giving  her  a  shove.  No 
Sooner  had  the  words  passed  his  lips  than  he  felt  him- 
self lifted  by  the  nape  of  his  neck  as  if  he  had  been  a 
little  puppy:  he  was  in  the  hands  of  a  great  red-faced 
German,  who  looked  like  a  scarlet  giant  to  poor  Rob, 
as  he  gazed  up  in  his  face.  This  was  the  father  of  the 
two  little  girls ;  he  had  seen  the  shove  that  Rob  gave 
his  little  Wilhelmina,  and  he  was  in  a  great  rage;  he 
shook  Rob  back  and  forth,  and  cuffed  his  ears,  all  the 
time  talking  very  loud  in  German.  All  he  said  was :  — 

"  You  are  a  good-for-nothing:  I  will  teach  you  man- 
ners, that  you  do  not  push  little  girls  who  are  doing  you 
no  harm ;  ' '  but  it  sounded  in  the  German  language  like 
something  very  dreadful. 

Poor  Nelly  clung  to  him  with  one  hand,  and  tried  to 
stop  his  beating  Rob. 

11  Oh,  please  don't  whip  my  brother,  sir!  "  she  cried. 
"  He  did  not  mean  to  hurt  the  little  girl.  She  was 
going  to  snatch  my  doll  away  from  me. ' ' 

But  the  angry  German  shook  Nelly  off  as  if  she  had 
been  a  little  fly  that  lighted  on  his  arm.  Rob  did  not 
cry  out,  nor  speak  a  word.  He  was  horribly  frightened, 
but  he  was  too  angry  to  cry.  He  said  afterwards :  — 

* '  I  thought  he  was  going  to  kill  me ;  but  I  just  made 
up  my  mind  I  wouldn't  speak  a  single  word  if  he  did." 

All  this  that  I  have  been  telling  you  didn't  take  much 
more  than  a  minute ;  but  it  seemed  to  poor  Nelly  a  thou- 
sand years.  She  was  crying,  and  the  little  German 
girls  were  crying  too:  they  did  not  mean  to  do  any 
harm,  and  they  did  not  want  the  little  boy  whipped. 
Some  rough  men  and  women  who  were  looking  on  began 
to  laugh,  and  one  man  called  out :  — 


OFF   FOR    COLORADO  57 

11  Go  it,  Dutchy,  go  it!  " 

Mr.  March,  who  was  just  walking  up  the  platform,^ 
heard  the  noise ;  and,  when  he  looked  up  to  see  what  it 
meant,  what  should  he  see  but  his  own  Rob  held  away 
up  in  the  air,  in  the  powerful  grip  of  this  tall  man,  and 
being  soundly  cuffed  about  the  ears.  Mr.  March  sprang 
forward,  and,  taking  hold  of  Rob  with  one  hand,  caught 
the  angry  man's  uplifted  arm  in  the  other. 

"  Stop,  sir,"  he  said;  "  this  is  my  little  boy.  What 
has  he  done?  Leave  him  to  me.  What  has  he  done?  " 

il  Nothing,  papa,"  called  poor  Rob,  the  tears  coming 
into  his  eyes  at  the  sight  of  a  protector ;  ' l  nothing  ex- 
cept push  that  ugly  little  yellow-haired  girl :  I  guess  she 
is  his ;  she  was  going  to  snatch  Nell 's  doll. ' ' 

The  German  set  Rob  down;  and,  turning  towards 
Mr.  March,  began  to  pour  out  a  torrent  of  words.  Luck- 
ily, Mr.  March  understood  most  of  what  he  said,  and 
could  speak  to  him  in  his  own  language.  So  he  ex- 
plained to  him  that  his  little  daughters  had  tried  to 
take  Nelly's  doll  away  from  her,  and  that  Rob  had  only 
intended  to  protect  his  sister,  as  was  quite  right  and 
proper  he  should  do.  As  soon  as  the  man  understood 
this,  he  turned  at  once  to  his  little  girls  who  stood  by 
crying,  and  asked  them  a  short  question  in  German. 

They  sobbed  out,  "  ja,  ja  "  (that  means  "  yes,  yes  "). 
In  less  than  a  minute  he  caught  up  first  the  elder  one, 
just  as  he  had  caught  up  Rob,  and  boxed  her  ears ;  then 
the  smaller  one,  and  cuffed  her  also ;  and  set  them  both 
down  on  the  ground,  as  if  he  were  used  to  swinging 
children  up  in  the  air  and  boxing  their  ears  every  day. 
Then  he  turned  to  Rob,  and,  taking  him  by  the  hand, 
said  to  Mr.  March,  — 

"  Explain  to  your  little  boy  that  I  ask  his  pardon. 
He  was  doing  the  right  thing :  he  is  a  gentleman ;  and 
I  ask  that  he  accept  this  horn  from  me  and  from  my 
very  bad  little  girls." 


58  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

So  saying,  he  took  out  of  a  great  wallet  that  hung 
across  his  back  a  beautiful  little  powder  horn.  It  was 
a  horn  of  the  chamois,  the  beautiful  wild  deer  that  lives 
in  the  mountains  in  Switzerland.  It  was  as  black  as 
ebony,  and  had  a  fine  pattern  cut  on  it,  like  a  border 
round  the  top ;  then  it  had  a  scarlet  cord  and  silver 
buckles,  to  fasten  it  across  the  shoulders.  Rob's  eyes 
glistened  with  delight  as  he  stretched  out  his  hand 
for  it. 

11  Oh,  thank  you,  thank  you!  "  he  said.  "  Oh,  papa! 
please  thank  him,  and  tell  him  I  don't  mind  the  whip- 
ping a  bit  now.  And, ' '  he  added,  ' '  please  tell  him,  too, 
that  I  didn't  mean  to  shove  his  little  girl  hard,  only  just 
to  keep  her  off  Nell. ' ' 

Mr.  March  interpreted  Rob's  speech  to  the  German, 
who  nodded  pleasantly  and  walked  off,  leading  his  two 
little  sobbing  children  by  the  hand.  He  was  so  tall  that 
the  little  girls  looked  like  little  elves  by  his  side,  and 
he  looked  like  the  picture  of  the  Giant  with  his  seven- 
league  boots  on.  When  Rob  turned  to  show  his  beau- 
tiful powder  horn  to  Nelly,  she  was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 

"  "Why,  where  is  Nell,  papa?  "  he  exclaimed. 

Mr.  March  looked  around  anxiously,  but  could  see 
nothing  of  her.  They  hurried  back  into  the  waiting- 
room,  and  there  to  their  great  relief  they  saw  Nelly 
sitting  by  her  mother's  side.  Rob  rushed  up  to  her, 
holding  up  his  powder  horn,  and  exclaiming,  — 

11  Why,  Nell,  what  made  you  come  away?  That  old 
thrasher  was  a  splendid  fellow:  see  what  he  gave  me, 
as  soon  as  papa  made  him  understand;  and  he  cuffed 
those  girls  well,  I  tell  you,  —  most  as  hard  as  he  did 
me.  Why,  Nell,  what's  the  matter?  "  Rob  suddenly 
observed  that  Nelly  was  crying. 

"  Don't  talk  to  Nelly  just  now,"  said  Mrs.  March: 
' '  she  is  in  trouble. ' '  And  she  put  her  arm  round  Nelly 
tenderly. 


OFF   FOE    COLORADO  59 

"  But  what  is  it,  mamma?  "  exclaimed  Rob;  "  tell 
me.  Is  she  hurt  ?  ' : 

"  What  is  it,  Sarah?  "  said  Mr.  March.  By  this  time 
Nelly  was  sobbing  hard,  and  her  head  was  buried  on  her 
mother 's  shoulder.  Mrs.  March  pointed  to  Nelly 's  lap : 
there  lay  a  shapeless  and  dirty  little  bundle,  which  Nelly 
held  grasped  feebly  in  one  hand.  It  was  the  remains 
of  Mrs.  Napoleon.  The  blue  waterproof  was  all  torn 
and  grimed  with  dirt;  a  broken  wax  arm  hung  out  at 
one  side;  and  when  Rob  cautiously  lifted  a  fold  of  the 
waterproof,  there  came  into  view  a  shocking  sight :  poor 
Mrs.  Napoleon's  face,  or  rather  what  had  been  her 
face,  without  a  single  feature  to  be  seen  in  it,  —  just 
a  round  ball  of  dirty,  crumbling  wax,  with  the  pretty 
yellow  curls  all  matted  in  it.  Mr.  March  could  not 
help  smiling  at  the  sight;  luckily,  Nelly  did  not  see 
him. 

' '  Why,  how  did  that  happen  ?  "  he  said. 

11  What  a  shame!  "  exclaimed  Rob.  "  Say,  Nell,  you 
shall  have  my  powder  horn;  "  and  he  thrust  it  into 
her  hand.  Nelly  shook  her  head  and  pushed  it  away, 
but  did  not  speak.  Her  heart  was  too  full. 

Then  Mrs.  March  told  them  in  a  low  tone  how  it  had 
happened.  When  Nelly  caught  hold  of  the  German's 
arm,  trying  to  stop  his  beating  Rob,  she  had  forgotten 
all  about  Mrs.  Napoleon,  and  let  her  fall  to  the  ground. 
Nobody  saw  her,  and,  in  the  general  scuffle,  the  doll  had 
been  trampled  under  foot.  Really,  if  one  had  not  been 
so  sorry  for  Nelly,  one  could  not  help  laughing  at  the 
spectacle.  The  scarlet  feather  and  the  bright  blue  cloak, 
and  the  golden  curls,  and  the  dark  blue  veils,  and  the 
red  and  white  wax,  all  mixed  up  together  so  that  you 
would  have  hardly  known  that  it  was  a  doll  at  all,  — 
except  that  one  blue  eye  was  left  whole,  with  a  little  bit 
of  the  red  cheek  under  it.  This  made  the  whole  wreck 
look  still  worse. 


60  NELLY'S   SILVER    MINE 

11  Our  first  railroad  accident,"  said  Mrs.  March, 
laughingly.  Nelly  sobbed  harder  than  ever. 

"  Hush,"  said  Mr.  March,  in  a  low  tone  to  his  wife. 
"  Don't  make  light  of  it." 

' '  Nelly,  dear, ' '  he  said,  taking  hold  of  the  doll  gently, 
' '  shall  not  papa  throw  the  poor  dolly  away  ?  You  don 't 
want  to  look  at  her  any  more." 

'  *  Oh,  no,  no !  "  said  Nelly,  lifting  up  the  bundle,  and 
hugging  it  tighter. 

"  Very  well,  dear,"  replied  her  father,  "  you  shall 
keep  it  as  long  as  you  like.  But  let  me  pin  poor  dolly 
up  tight,  so  that  nobody  can  see  how  she  is  hurt." 

Nelly  gave  the  doll  up  without  a  word,  and  her  kind 
papa  rolled  the  little  waterproof  cloak  tight  round  the 
body  and  arms;  then  he  doubled  up  the  blue  veil  and 
pinned  it  many  thicknesses  thick  all  round  the  head; 
and  then  he  took  a  clean  dark-blue  and  white  silk  hand- 
kerchief of  his  own  and  put  outside  all  the  veil,  and 
made  it  into  a  snug  little  parcel,  that  nobody  would 
have  known  was  a  dolly  at  all. 

"  There,  Nelly,"  he  said,  putting  it  in  her  lap,  "  there 
is  dolly,  all  rolled  up,  so  that  nobody  can  look  at  her." 

Nelly  took  the  sad  little  bundle,  and  laid  it  across  her 
knees. 

"  Can  she  ever  be  mended,  papa?  "  she  said. 

11  No,  dear,  I  think  not,"  said  Mr.  March;  "  I  think 
the  sooner  you  put  her  out  of  your  sight  the  better ;  but 
now  we  must  go  into  the  cars. ' ' 

Poor  Nelly!  she  walked  slowly  along,  carrying  the 
blue  and  white  package  as  if  it  were  a  coffin,  —  as  in- 
deed it  was,  a  kind  of  coffin,  for  a  very  dead  dolly. 

As  they  were  going  into  the  car,  Mr.  March  said  to 
his  wife :  — 

"  There  is  no  drawing-room  in  ^  the  sleeping-car  which 
goes  through  to-day.  I  have  had*  to  take  two  sections. ' ' 

Mrs.  March  had  never  travelled  in  a  sleeping-car  be- 


OFF   FOE    COLORADO  61 

fore,  and  she  did  not  know  how  much  nicer  the  little, 
room  was  than  the  "  sections."  So  she  replied: 
11  They'll  do  just  as  well,  won't  they?  " 

"  I  think  you  will  not  like  them  quite  so  well,"  re- 
plied Mr.  March;  "  you  cannot  be  by  yourself  with 
the  children.  But  it  is  only  for  one  night ;  we  will  make 
the  best  of  it.  There  are  our  sections,  one  right  opposite 
the  other ;  so  you  will  not  have  strangers  opposite  you. ' ' 

They  put  their  lunch-basket  and  bags  and  bundles 
down  on  the  floor,  and  sat  down  on  the  two  sofas,  facing 
each  other.  Nelly  put  her  blue  and  white  parcel  in  one 
corner  of  the  sofa,  lay  down  with  her  head  on  it,  and 
was  soon  fast  asleep.  There  were  tears  on  her  cheeks. 

"  Poor  child!  "  said  Mr.  March;  "  this  is  her  first 
real  grief." 

11  I'm  glad  I  ain't  a  girl,"  said  Rob,  bluntly;  "  I 
don 't  believe  in  dolls,  do  you,  papa  ?  ' ' 

Mr,  March  answered  Rob's  question  by  another. 

"  Do  you  believe  in  babies,  Rob?  " 

' '  Why,  of  course,  papa !  What  a  funny  question ! 
I  think  babies  are  real  nice.  They're  alive,  you  know." 

'  *  Yes, ' '  said  his  father ;  ' '  but  dolls  are  just  the  same 
to  little  girls  that  babies  are  to  grown-up  women.  Nelly 
felt  just  like  a  mother  to  Mrs.  Napoleon.  She  was  a 
very  good  little  mother  too." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  March;  "  she  was.  I  am  very 
sorry  for  her." 

"  I'm  real  glad  Deacon  Plummer  and  Mrs.  Plummer 
weren  't  here, ' '  said  Rob. 

"  Why,  why,  Rob?  "  said  his  mother. 

(Deacon  and  Mrs.  Plummer  had  left  the  train  at 
Quincy  to  spend  a  week  with  a  son  of  theirs  who  lived 
there.  They  were  to  join  the  Marches  later,  in  Den- 
ver.) 

"  Oh,  because  she'd  have  said:  '  This  is  —  cough  — 
cough  —  providential.'  What  does  providential  mean, 


62  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

anyhow,  papa?  You  never  say  it.  Does  it  make  you 
cough  and  sneeze?  Mrs.  Plummer  is  always  saying  it 
about  every  thing." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  laughed  so  hard  at  this  they 
could  not  speak  for  some  minutes.  Then  Mr.  March 
said :  — 

1 '  You  must  not  speak  so,  Rob ;  ' '  but,  before  he  had 
finished  his  sentence,  he  had  to  stop  again,  and  laugh 
harder  than  before.  "  Deacon  and  Mrs.  Plummer  are 
going  to  be  the  greatest  help  to  us,  and  they  are  as  good 
and  kind  as  they  can  be. ' ' 

"  Yes,  I  like  her  crullers  first-rate,"  said  Rob. 
"  What  does  providential  mean,  papa?  ' 

Mr.  March  looked  puzzled. 

' '  I  hardly  know  how  to  tell  you,  Rob.  Mrs.  Plummer 
means  by  it  that  God  made  the  thing  happen,  whatever 
it  is  that  she  is  speaking  of,  on  purpose  for  her  accom- 
modation :  that  is  one  way  of  using  the  word.  I  do  not 
believe  that  doctrine:  so  I  never  use  the  word,  because 
it  would  be  understood  to  mean  something  I  don't  be- 
lieve in." 

11  I  should  think  God'd  be  too  busy,"  said  Rob,  as  if 
he  were  thinking  very  hard;  "  he  couldn't  remember 
everybody,  could  he?  ': 

"  Not  in  that  way,  I  think,"  said  Mr.  March;  "  but 
in  another  way  I  think  it  is  true  that  he  never  forgets 
anybody.  It  is  something  like  my  garden,  Rob.  You 
know  I've  got  parsnips,  and  carrots,  and  beets,  and  po- 
tatoes, —  oh !  a  dozen  of  things,  all*  growing  together. 
Now  I  never  forget  my  garden.  I  know  when  it  is  time 
to  have  the  corn  hoed;  and  I  know,  when  there  hasn't 
been  any  rain  for  a  long  time,  that  I  must  water  it.  But 
I  don't  think  about  each  particular  carrot  or  parsnip  in 
the  bed:  I  could  hardly  count  them  if  I  tried.  Yet  I 
mean  to  take  very  good  care  of  my  garden,  and  never 
let  them  suffer  for  any  thing;  and  if  any  one  of  my 


OFF   FOR    COLORADO  63 

vegetables  were  to  be  thirsty,  if  it  could  speak,  it  ought 
to  ask  me  to  give  it  some  water. ' ' 

I  am  afraid  Rob  did  not  listen  attentively  to  this  long 
explanation.  He  never  thought  of  any  one  thing  very 
long,  as  you  know.  And  he  was  busy  now  watching  all 
the  people  pour  into  the  car.  There  was  a  little  girl, 
only  about  Nelly's  age,  who  had  to  be  carried  on  a  little 
mattress.  She  could  not  walk.  Something  was  the  mat- 
ter with  her  spine.  Her  father  and  mother  were  with 
her.  And  there  was  a  lady  with  a  sweet  face,  who  was 
too  ill  to  sit  up  at  all.  The  sofas  in  her  "  section  " 
were  made  up  into  a  bed  as  soon  as  she  came  in;  she 
had  a  doctor  and  a  nurse  with  her. 

Then  there  were  several  couples,  who  had  two  or  three 
children  with  them ;  and  one  poor  lady  who  was  travel- 
ling all  alone  with  five  children,  and  the  largest  only 
twelve  years  old ;  and  there  were  some  Englishmen  with 
guns  and  fishing-rods  and  spy-glasses  and  almost  every 
thing  you  could  think  of  that  could  be  cased  in  leather 
and  carried  on  a  journey,  —  one  of  them  even  had  a 
bath-tub,  a  big,  round  bath-tub,  in  addition  to  every 
thing  else.  He  had  a  man-servant  with  him  who  carried 
all  these  things,  or  else  he  never  could  have  got  on  at 
all.  The  man 's  name  was  Felix.  That  is  a  Latin  word 
which  means  "  happy,"  but  I  don't  think  this  poor  fel- 
low was  happy  at  all.  He  was  a  Frenchman.  I  don't 
know  how  he  came  to  be  an  Englishman's  servant,  but 
I  suppose  the  Englishman  had  lived  a  great  while  in 
France,  and  had  found  him  there.  Felix's  master  al- 
ways talked  French  with  him ;  so  Felix  had  not  learned 
much  English,  and  it  would  have  made  you  laugh  to 
see  him  clap  his  hand  to  his  head  when  anybody  said 
any  thing  he  could  not  understand.-  He  would  pound 
his  head  as  if  he  could  drive  the  meaning  in  that  way; 
and  then  he  would  pull  his  thin  hair;  and  then  some- 
times he  would  turn  round  and  round  as  fast  as  a  top 


64  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

two  or  three  times.  When  he  came  into  the  cars  loaded 
down  with  the  guns  and  the  rods  and  the  bundles  and 
the  bath-tub,  his  master  would  tell  him  to  put  them 
down  in  the  corner;  then  the  porter  would  come  along 
and  say :  — 

'  *  Look  here !  you  can 't  have  all  these  things  in  here, ' ' 
and  then  Felix  would  say :  — 

' '  Vat  dat  you  say,  sare  ?  ' '' 

Then  the  porter  would  repeat  it;  and  Felix  would 
say  again :  — 

1 1  Vat  dat  you  say,  sare  ?  ' : 

And  then  the  porter  would  get  angry,  and  pick  up 
some  of  the  things,  and  lay  them  on  Felix's  back,  and 
tell  him  to  carry,  them  off ;  and  there  Felix  would  stand 
stock-still,  with  the  things  on  his  back,  till  his  master 
appeared.  Then  he  would  pour  out  all  his  story  of  his 
troubles  in  French,  and  the  Englishman  would  be  very 
angry  with  the  porter,  and  say  that  he  would  have  his 
things  where  he  pleased;  and  the  porter  would  say  he 
should  not.  He  must  put  them  under  his  berth  or  in  the 
baggage  car;  and  poor  Felix  would  stand  all  the  while 
looking  first  in  the  porter's  face  and  then  in  his  mas- 
ter's, just  like  a  dog  that  is  waiting  for  his  master  to 
tell  him  which  way  to  run  for  a  thing.  Great  drops  of 
perspiration  would  stand  on  his  forehead,  and  his  face 
would  be  as  red  as  if  it  were  August:  he  was  so  wor- 
ried and  confused.  Poor  Felix !  he  was  one  of  the  droll- 
est sights  in  the  whole  journey. 

The  people  kept  pouring  in. 

; '  Mamma,  where  are  they  all  to  sleep  ?  ' '  whispered 
Rob. 

"I'm  sure  I  don't  know,  Rob,"  she  answered. 

At  last  the  train  moved  off,  and  the  different  families 
arranged  themselves  in  their  own  sections,  and  it  seemed 
a  little  less  crowded.  But  there  were  not  seats  enough 
for  all  the  children,  and  some  of  them  were  obliged  to 


OFF   FOR    COLORADO  65 

sit  on  the  floor  in  the  middle  of  the  aisle.  The  lady 
who  had  five  children  had  only  engaged  one  berth :  that 
is  half  of  a  section. 

11  How  do  you  expect  to  manage  about  sleeping?  r< 
said  Mrs.  March  to  her. 

"  Oh,  that's  easy  enough,"  said  she.  "  We've  slept 
so  all  the  way  from  New  York.  I  put  the  three  little 
ones  crosswise  at  the  foot,  and  the  two  others  lie  'long- 
side  of  me." 

Mrs.  March  did  not  reply  to  this ;  but  she  thought  to 
herself,  "I'd  like  to  see  those  babies  after  they  are  all 
packed  away  for  the  night." 

At  noon  the  train  stopped  for  the  passengers  to  take 
their  dinner  at  a  little  station.  More  than  half  the 
people  in  the  car  went  out.  Then  the  porter  —  the  new 
porter's  name  was  Ben  —  brought  in  little  tables  and 
put  them  up  between  the  seats  for  the  people  who  had 
their  own  lunch-baskets  and  did  not  want  to  go  out  to 
dinner.  In  the  next  section  to  the  Marches  were  a  man 
and  his  wife  with  three  children.  They  had  a  big  coffee- 
pot full  of  coffee,  and  one  tin  cup  to  drink  it  from. 
They  had  loaves  of  brown  bread,  a  big  cheese,  and  a 
bunch  of  onions.  As  soon  as  they  opened  their  basket, 
the  smell  of  the  onions  and  the  cheese  filled  the  car. 

' '  Ugh !  ' '  said  Bob ;  ' '  where  does  this  horrible  smell 
come  from  ?  ' ' 

Luckily  the  people  who  owned  the  cheese  and  the 
onions  did  not  hear  him,  and  before  he  had  time  to  say 
any  more,  his  mother  whispered  to  him  to  be  quiet; 
but  Rob's  face  was  one  of  such  disgust,  that  nobody 
could  have  looked  at  him  without  seeing  that  he  was 
very  uncomfortable.  Mrs.  March  felt  as  uncomfortable 
as  Rob  did :  but  she  knew  that  those  people  had  just 
the  same  right  to  have  cheese  and  onions  on  their  table 
that  she  had  to  have  chocolate  and  orange  marmalade 
on  hers;  so  she  opened  one  of  the  windows  wide  to  let 


66  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

in  fresh  air,  and  went  on  with  her  dinner.  As  soon  as 
the  spirit-lamp  began  to  burn,  the  children  in  the  next 
section  exclaimed  aloud:  "  Oh,  what  is  that?  what  is 
that?  ''  They  had  never  seen  any  thing  of  the  kind 
before.  The  two  eldest,  who  were  boys,  jumped  down 
from  their  seat,  each  carrying  a  big  piece  of  bread  and 
of  cheese,  and  came  crowding  around  Mrs.  March  to 
look  at  the  lamp.  Mrs.  March  was  a  very  gentle  and 
polite  woman,  but  she  could  not  help  being  vexed  at 
these  ill-mannered  children. 

"  Go  away,  little  boys,"  she  said:  "  I  am  very  busy 
now.  I  am  afraid  you  will  upset  the  lamp,  and  get 
burned." 

Then  she  looked  at  the  father  and  mother,  hoping 
they  would  call  their  children  back.  But  they  took  no 
notice  of  them:  they  went  on  eating  their  bread  and 
cheese  and  onions ;  and,  at  every  fresh  onion  they  sliced, 
a  fresh  whiff  of  the  strong,  disagreeable  odor  went 
through  the  car.  Mr.  March  had  been  out  to  the  eating- 
house,  to  get  some  milk.  Mrs.  March  had  brought  a 
big  square  glass  bottle,  which  held  three  pints;  and, 
whenever  they  stopped  at  an  eating-house,  Mr.  March 
bought  fresh  milk  to  fill  it,  and  this  was  a  great  addi- 
tion to  their  bill  of  fare.  He  came  into  the  car  at 
this  moment,  bringing  the  milk  bottle,  and  as  soon 
as  he  opened  the  car  door,  he  exclaimed,  as  Rob  had 
done : — 

' '  Ugh !  ' '  but  in  a  second  more  he  saw  what  had  made 
the  odor,  and  he  said  no  more.  As  he  handed  the  milk 
to  his  wife,  she  said  in  a  low  tone :  — 

:*  Could  we  go  anywhere  else  to  eat  our  dinner,  Rob- 
ert? " 

Mr.  March  looked  all  around  the  car  and  shook  his 
head. 

"  No,"  he  said;  "  every  seat  is  taken,  and  at  any 
moment  the  people  may  come  back.  It  is  nearly  time 


OFF   FOR    COLORADO  67 

now  for  the  train  to  start.  We  will  make  a  hasty  meal ; 
perhaps  we  can  do  better  at  night." 

Rob  and  Nelly  were  very  quiet.  They  did  not  like 
the  two  strange  boys  who  stood  close  to  their  seat  star- 
ing at  them,  and  at  every  thing  which  was  on  the  table. 
Rob  whispered  to  Nelly :  — 

"  'Tain't  half  so  nice  as  it  was  in  the  little  room:  is 
it,  Nell?  " 

"No,  "said  Nelly. 

"  Shouldn't  you  think  they'd  be  ashamed  to  stare 
so?  "  continued  Rob,  making  a  gesture  over  his  shoul- 
der towards  their  uninvited  guests. 

"  Yes,"  said  Nelly.    "It's  real  rude." 

Still  the  boys  stood  immovable  at  Mrs.  March's  knee. 
At  last  one  of  them  lifted  his  head,  and,  saying  "  What 
keeps  that  thing  on  there?  "  pointed  to  the  saucepan 
standing  on  the  little  tripod  of  the  lamp.  Just  at  that 
moment,  his  brother  accidentally  hit  his  arm  and  made 
his  hand  go  farther  than  he  meant :  it  hit  the  saucepan 
and  knocked  it  over ;  down  went  the  spirit-lamp,  all  the 
alcohol  ran  out  and  took  fire,  and  for  a  few  minutes 
there  was  a  great  hubbub  I  assure  you.  Mr.  March 
seized  their  heavy  woollen  lap-robe,  and  threw  it  on  the 
floor  above  the  burning  alcohol,  and  stamped  out  the 
flames;  and  nobody  was  burned.  But  the  nice  choco- 
late was  all  lost;  it  went  running  down  a  little  muddy 
stream,  way  out  to  the  door;  and  the  tumbler  which 
had  the  butter  in  it  fell  to  the  floor  and  was  broken; 
and  the  nice  slices  of  white  bread  which  Mrs.  March 
had  just  cut  were  all  soaked  in  alcohol  and  spoiled ;  and 
altogether  it  was  a  wretched  mess,  and  all  because  two 
little  boys  had  not  been  taught  how  to  behave  properly. 
They  ran  off  as  hard  as  they  could  go,  you  may  be  sure, 
back  into  their  own  seat,  as  soon  as  the  mischief  was 
done ;  and,  if  you  will  believe  it,  their  father  and  mother 
never  even  looked  round  or  took  any  notice  of  all  the 


68  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

confusion  that  was  going  on.  They  sat  and  munched 
their  onions  and  brown  bread  and  cheese  as  if  they  were 
in  their  own  house  all  alone.  One  sees  very  queer  and 
disagreeable  people  in  travelling.  By  the  time  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  March  had  put  out  the  fire,  and  picked  up  all  the 
things  and  wiped  up  the  chocolate  as  well  as  they  could 
with  a  newspaper,  the  people  who  had  gone  out  to  get 
their  dinners,  all  came  pouring  back,  and  the  cars  began 
to  move. 

1 1  Oh,  dear  me !  ' '  said  Mrs.  March :  ' '  we  shall  have 
to  go  without  our  lunch  now  till  tea-time.  Here,  chil- 
dren, just  drink  this  milk,  and  eat  a  piece  of  bread,  and 
at  tea-time,  perhaps,  we'll  have  better  luck." 

"  I  don't  care,"  said  Rob;  "  I  ain't  hungry  a  bit: 
it's  all  so  horrid  in  here." 

"  Neither  am  I,"  said  Nelly.  "  Can't  we  have  a  little 
room  all  to  ourselves  to-morrow,  papa  ?  ' : 

11  No,  Nell,"  said  her  father:  "  no  more  little  room 
for  us  on  this  journey ;  this  car  goes  through  to  Denver. 
We  can't  change.  But  it  is  only  one  night  and  one 
day :  we  can  stand  it. ' ' 

"I'm  glad  part  of  it  is  night,"  said  Nelly;  "  we'll 
be  by  ourselves  when  we're  in  bed." 

11  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  March.  "  You  are  to  sleep  with 
me,  and  Rob  with  papa ;  and  we  '11  be  all  shut  in  behind 
the  curtains.  I  think  that  will  be  quite  comfortable. ' ' 

When  the  train  stopped  for  the  passengers  to  take 
supper,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  decided  that  they  would 
go  out  too,  and  not  try  any  more  experiments  with  the 
spirit-lamp  while  they  had  such  dangerous  and  disagree- 
able companions  in  the  next  seat. 

Nelly  and  Rob  clung  to  their  father's  hand  as  they 
entered  the  eating-room.  There  were  four  long  tables, 
all  filled  with  people  eating  as  fast  as  they  could  eat. 
Nearly  all  the  men  had  their  hats  on  their  heads,  and 
the  noise  of  the  knives  and  forks  sounded  like  the  clat- 


OFF  FOE    COLORADO  69 

ter  of  machinery.  The  train  was  to  stop  only  twenty 
minutes,  and  everybody  was  trying  to  eat  all  he  could 
in  so  short  a  time.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  March,  being  very 
gentle  and  quiet  people,  did  not  hurry  the  waiters  as  the 
other  people  did;  and  so  it  happened  that  their  supper 
was  not  brought  to  them  for  some  time.  Nelly  had 
eaten  only  a  few  mouthfuls  of  her  bread  and  milk  when 
there  was  a  general  rush  from  all  the  tables,  and  the 
room  was  emptied  in  a  minute.  The  conductor  of  the 
train  was  sitting  at  the  table  with  the  Marches,  and  he 
said  kindly  to  them  :  — 

' '  Don 't  hurry ;  there  is  plenty  of  time ;  five  minutes 
yet" 

1 '  Five  minutes !  ' '  said  Rob,  scornfully :  "  I  couldn  't 
take  five  mouthfuls  in  five  minutes.  I'm  going  to  carry 
mine  into  the  cars."  And  he  began  spreading  bread 
and  butter. 

"  A  good  idea,  Rob,"  said  his  mother.  And  she  did 
the  same  thing;  and,  as  the  conductor  called  "  All 
aboard !  ' '  the  March  family  entered  the  car,  each  carry- 
ing two  slices  of  bread  and  butter. 

"  Not  much  better  luck  with  our  supper  than  with 
our  dinner,  Sarah,"  said  Mr.  March;  "  I  think  you'll 
have  to  open  your  lunch-basket,  after  all. ' ' 

"  Oh,  don't  ask  me  to!  "  said  Mrs.  March.  "  The 
children  have  had  a  good  drink  of  milk.  We  can  get 
along  till  morning.  I  would  rather  go  hungry  than  take 
out  the  things  with  all  those  people  looking  on.  We 
can  go  to  bed  early :  that  will  be  a  comfort. ' ' 

Mistaken  Mrs.  March!  They  sat  on  the  steps  of  the 
cars  for  half  an  hour  to  watch  the  sunset.  The  brake- 
man  had  found  out  that  Mr.  March  was  so  careful  and 
Nelly  and  Rob  were  such  good  children  that  he  let  them 
sit  there  as  often  as  they  liked.  Nelly  loved  dearly  to 
sit  between  her  father's  knees  on  the  upper  step  and 
look  down  at  the  ground  as  it  seemed  to  fly  away  so 


70  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

swiftly  under  the  wheels.  Sometimes  they  went  so  fast 
that  the  ground  did  not  look  like  ground  at  all.  It 
looked  like  a  smooth,  striped  sheet  of  brown  and  green 
paper  being  drawn  swiftly  under  the  car  wheels.  It 
seemed  to  Rob  and  Nelly  as  if  they  must  be  going  out 
over  the  edge  of  the  world.  All  they  could  see  was 
sky  and  ground. 

"  This  is  the  way  it  looks  when  you  are  out  in  the 
middle  of  the  ocean,  Nell,"  said  her  father;  "  just  the 
great  round  sky  over  your  head,  and  the  great  flat  sea 
underneath:  only  the  sea  is  never  still  as  the  ground 
is ;  that  is  the  only  difference. ' ' 

"  Still!  "  cried  Rob.  "  You  don't  call  this  ground 
under  us  still,  do  you?  It's  going  as  fast  as  lightning 
all  the  time." 

1  i  No,  Rob !  it  is  we  who  are  going ;  the  ground  is 
still,"  said  his  mother;  "  but  it  does  look  just  as  if  the 
ground  were  flying  one  way  and  we  the  other.  It  makes 
me  almost  dizzy  to  look  down." 

Pretty  soon  the  moon  came  up  in  the  east.  It  was 
almost  full,  and,  as  it  came  up  slowly  in  sight,  it  looked 
like  a  great  circle  of  fire.  Rob  and  Nelly  both  cried 
out,  when  they  first  saw  it :  — 

"  Oh,  mamma!    oh,  papa!   see  that  fire!  ': 

In  a  very  few  minutes  it  was  up  in  full  sight,  and  then 
they  saw  what  it  was. 

* '  Dear  me !  only  the  moon,  after  all, ' '  said  Rob ;  "  I 
hoped  it  was  a  big  fire." 


CHAPTER   IV 

A   NIGHT   IN   A    SLEEPING  -  CAR 

THE  moonlight  was  so  beautiful  that  Mrs.  March 
did  not  like  to  go  back  into  the  car;  and  Rob  and 
Nelly  begged  so  hard  to  sit  up,  that  she  let  them  stay 
long  past  their  bed-time.  At  last  she  exclaimed :  — 

"  Come,  come!  this  won't  do!  We  must  go  to  bed," 
and  she  opened  the  car  door.  As  soon  as  she  looked 
in  she  started  back,  so  that  she  nearly  knocked  Mr. 
March  and  Nelly  off  the  platform. 

' '  Why,  what  has  happened  ?  ' '  she  said. 

Mr.  March  laughed. 

'  *  Oh,  nothing, ' '  he  said :  1 1  this  is  the  way  a  sleeping- 
car  always  looks  at  night. " 

Curtains  were  let  down  on  each  side  the  aisle  its  whole 
length.  It  was  very  dark,  and  the  aisle  looked  very 
narrow.  Not  a  human  being  was  in  sight. 

' '  Where  are  our  sections  ?  ' '  said  Mrs.  March. 

"  These  are  ours,  I  think/ '  said  Mr.  March,  pulling 
open  a  curtain  on  the  left. 

"  Let  my  curtain  alone,"  called  somebody  from  in- 
side. "  Go  away." 

Mr.  March  had  opened  the  wrong  curtain. 

"  Oh,  I  beg  your  pardon,  madam,"  he  said,  much 
mortified  that  he  should  have  broken  open  a  lady's  bed- 
room. 

Mrs.  March  and  Rob  and  Nelly  stood  close  together 
in  the  middle  of  the  aisle,  at  their  wits'  end.  They 


72  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

did  not  dare  to  open  another  curtain,  for  fear  it  should 
be  somebody's  else  bedroom,  and  not  their  own. 

"I'll  call  Ben,"  said  Mr.  March;    "  he'll  know." 

But  Ben  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  At  last  they 
found  him  sound  asleep  in  a  little  state-room  at  the  end 
of  the  car. 

"  Ben,  come  show  us  which  are  our  sections,"  said 
Mr.  March. 

Ben  was  very  sleepy.  He  came  stumbling  down  the 
aisle,  rubbing  his  eyes. 

"  Reckon  there  is  your  berths;  I  made  'em  up  all 
ready  for  you, ' '  said  Ben,  and  pulled  open  the  very  cur- 
tain Mr.  March  had  opened  before. 

' '  Oh  !  don 't  open  that  one ;  there 's  a  lady  in  there, ' ' 
cried  Mrs.  March ;  but  she  was  too  late.  Ben  had  thrown 
the  curtains  wide  open. 

The  same  angry  voice  as  before  called  out :  — 

"  I  wish  you'd  let  my  curtain  alone.  What  are  you 
about?  " 

"  Done  made  a  mistake  this  time,  sure,"  said  Ben, 
composedly  drawing  the  curtains  together  again;  but 
not  before  Mrs.  March  and  Nelly  and  Rob  had  had  time 
to  see  into  the  bed,  and  had  seen  that  it  held  the  mother 
with  five  children.  There  they  all  lay  as  snug  as  you 
please:  the  three  little  ones  packed  like  herrings  in  a 
box,  across  the  foot  of  the  bed,  and  the  two  others  on 
the  inside;  and  the  mother  lying  on  the  outer  edge 
almost  in  the  aisle.  As  Ben  pushed  back  the  curtains, 
she  muttered :  — 

"  There  ain't  any  room  to  spare  in  this  berth,  if  that's 
what  you  're  looking  for. ' ' 

Rob  and  Nelly  gave  a  smothered  laugh  at  this. 

"  Hush,  children!  "  whispered  Mrs.  March.  "  You 
wouldn  't  like  to  be  laughed  at. ' ' 

' '  Oh,  mamma,  it 's  so  funny !  ' '  said  Rob.  ' '  We 
can't  help  it."  * 


A   NIGHT  IN   A   SLEEPING-CAB  73 

Mrs.  March  did  not  think  it  funny  at  all.  She  began 
to  be  in  despair  about  the  night. 

The  very  next  section  to  the  one  with  the  five  chil- 
dren was  one  of  Mr.  March's,  and  luckily  those  were 
the  next  curtains  Ben  opened. 

"  Here  you  are!  you're  all  right!  "  he  said,  cheer- 
fully. "  Here's  all  your  things:  I  done  piled  'em  up 
first-rate  for  you. ' ' 

Piled  up  they  were  indeed.  The  lunch-basket,  the 
strapped  bundle  of  blankets,  the  overcoats,  the  water- 
proofs, the  leather  bags,  all  one  above  the  other  on  one 
bed. 

"  Where  are  we  to  sleep,  mamma?  "  exclaimed 
Nelly. 

"  On  top,"  said  Rob.  "  Hurrah!  hurrah!  "  and  he 
was  about  to  jump  on  the  top  of  the  pile. 

' '  Be  quiet,  Rob, ' '  said  his  father :  "we  must  go  to 
bed  as  quietly  as  we  can,  and  not  wake  people  up.  We 
ought  to  have  come  earlier.  Almost  everybody  is  asleep, 
I  think." 

At  this  point,  rose  two  great  snores,  so  close  that  Mrs. 
March  started. 

"  Mercy!  "  she  exclaimed.  "  How  that  frightened 
me!" 

Snore !  snore !  snore !  The  sounds  came  as  regularly 
as  the  striking  of  a  clock :  they  were  most  uncommonly 
loud  snores.  Mr.  March  looked  at  his  wife  and  smiled. 
Mrs.  March  did  not  smile  in  return:  she  did  not  like 
this  state  of  things  at  all. 

At  last  they  had  sorted  out  the  things  they  needed, 
and  the  rest  of  the  things  they  pushed  under  their 
berths,  —  all  but  the  big  lunch-basket :  Mr.  March  had 
to  carry  that  out  to  the  end  of  the  car,  and  set  it  by 
the  stove.  Then  Mr.  March  and  Rob  climbed  into  their 
bed,  and  shut  the  curtains ;  and  Mrs.  March  and  Nelly 
climbed  into  theirs,  and  shut  their  curtains,  and  began 


74  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

to  undress.  Presently,  Mr.  March  called  across  in  a 
whisper :  — 

"  Wife,  what  shall  I  do  with  Rob's  clothes?  " 

Mrs.  March  was  at  that  moment  trying  to  find  some 
place  to  put  Nelly's  and  hers. 

''I'm  sure  I  don't  know,"  she  replied.  "  There  isn't 
a  sign  of  a  hook  here  to  hang  any  thing  on. ' ' 

"  Nor  here,"  replied  Mr.  March:  "  I'll  leave  them 
all  in  a  pile  on  the  foot  of  the  bed. ' ' 

"  That'll  do  very  well  for  a  man's  clothes,"  thought 
Mrs.  March ;  '  *  but  I  must  hang  up  our  gowns  and 
skirts."  At  last,  she  had  a  bright  thought.  She  stood 
up  on  the  edge  of  the  bed,  and  hooked  the  skirts  over 
the  rod  the  curtains  were  swung  from.  It  was  all  she 
could  do  to  reach  it;  and,  just  as  she  was  hooking  the 
last  skirt  on,  the  car  gave  a  lurch,  and  out  she  fell,  out 
into  the  aisle,  and  across  it,  through  the  curtains  of 
Mr.  March's  berth,  right  on  to  his  bed. 

' '  Goodness  alive,  Sarah !  is  this  you  ?  "  he  exclaimed, 
jumping  up,  frightened.  He  was  just  falling  asleep. 

11  Well,  I  believe  so,"  she  said:   "I'm  not  sure." 

"  Oh,  mamma,  did  it  hurt  you?  "  called  Nelly,  anx- 
iously. 

"  No,  no,  dear,"  replied  her  mother.  "I'm  coming 
right  back."  But,  before  she  went,  she  whispered  in 
her  husband 's  ear :  — 

"  Robert  March,  I  think  a  sleeping-car  is  the  most 
detestable  place  I  ever  got  into  in  my  life.  Suppose 
I'd  tumbled  into  some  stranger's  berth,  as  I  did  into 
yours  just  now." 

Mr.  March  only  laughed,  and  Mrs.  March  heard  him 
laughing  to  himself  after  she  had  gone  back,  and  it  did 
not  make  her  feel  any  pleasanter  to  hear  this.  At  last 
she  and  Nelly  were  both  undressed  and  in  bed.  Their 
clothes  and  dressing-cases  and  travelling-bags  were  piled 
up  on  their  feet. 


A    NIGHT   IN   A    SLEEPING-CAR  75 

"  You  mustn't  kick,  Nelly,"  said  Mrs.  March.  "  If 
you  do,  you'll  upset  all  the  things  out  on  the  floor.'* 

"  I'm  afraid  I  always  kick,  mamma,"  replied  honest 
Nelly.  ' '  I  won 't  while  I  'm  awake ;  but  when  I  'm 
asleep  I  don 't  know. ' ' 

Nelly  was  fast  asleep  in  two  minutes ;  but  Mrs.  March 
could  not  sleep.  The  air  in  the  car  was  so  close  and 
hot  it  made  her  head  ache.  She  had  pinned  her  cur- 
tains tight  together  before  she  lay  down,  so  that  nobody 
could  look  in  on  her  as  she  had  on  the  poor  lady  with 
five  children.  Now  she  sat  up  in  bed  and  unpinned 
them,  and  looked  out  into  the  aisle.  It  was  dark:  the 
car  was  dashing  along  at  a  tremendous  rate;  the  air 
was  most  disagreeable,  and  there  were  at  least  six  peo- 
ple snoring  different  snores. 

"  I  can't  stand  this.  I  must  open  the  window  at  the 
foot  of  the  berth,"  said  Mrs.  March.  So  she  crept 
down  and  tried  to  open  it.  She  had  not  observed  in 
the  day-time  how  the  windows  were  fastened :  she  fum- 
bled about  in  the  dark  till  she  found  the  fastening ;  she 
could  not  move  it;  she  took  the  skin  off  her  knuckles; 
she  wrenched  her  shoulder;  all  this  time  sitting  cross- 
legged  on  the  bed.  At  last  she  gave  a  shove  with  all 
her  strength,  and  the  window  flew  up :  in  one  second, 
an  icy  blast  blew  in  full  of  smoke  and  cinders.  "  This 
won 't  do,  either, ' '  said  Mrs.  March ;  and  she  tried  to 
get  the  window  down.  This  took  longer  than  to  get  it 
up ;  finally,  in  despair,  she  propped  it  open  about  two 
inches  with  one  of  her  boots ;  then  she  sank  back  ex- 
hausted, and  came  down  hard  on  her  watch  and  broke 
the  crystal :  then  she  had  a  difficult  time  picking  up  all 
the  little  bits  of  glass  in  the  dark,  and  then,  after  she 
had  picked  them  up,  she  did  not  know  what  to  do  with 
them.  There  was  some  stiff  paper  in  her  travelling-bag, 
if  she  could  only  get  at  it ;  at  last  she  found  it,  but,  in 
drawing  it  out,  she  knocked  the  cork  out  of  the  harts- 


76  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

horn  bottle,  and  over  went  the  bottle  in  the  bag,  all  the 
hartshorn  poured  out,  and  such  a  strong  smell  of  harts- 
horn filled  the  berth  it  waked  Nelly  up. 

"  Oh,  mamma!  what  is  it?  what  smells  so?  "  she 
said,  sleepily. 

11  Only  hartshorn,  dear,"  said  her  mother,  in  a  de- 
spairing tone.  "  I've  upset  it  all  over  every  thing. 
Go  to  sleep,  dear:  it  won't  smell  so  very  long." 

Nelly  dozed  off  again,  saying:  "  I'm  going  to  get 
up  just  as  soon  as  it's  light.  I  hate  this  bed:  don't 
you,  mamma?  " 

1  'Yes,  Nell,  I  do,"  said  Mrs.  March;  "I  would 
rather  have  sat  up  all  night:  but  I  am  so  tired  and 
sleepy  now  I  shall  go  to  sleep,  I  think." 

When  Nelly  waked,  it  was  just  beginning  to  be  light. 
Her  mother  was  sound  asleep.  Nelly  leaned  over  her, 
and  looked  out  into  the  aisle.  Nobody  was  up  except 
Ben,  who  was  blacking  boots  at  the  end  of  the  aisle. 

"  I'll  get  up  as  still  as  I  can,  and  get  all  dressed 
before  mamma  wakes  up,"  thought  Nelly.  "  Poor 
mamma !  What  a  time  she  had  last  night !  ' : 

At  that  moment,  as  Nelly  turned  her  head,  she  saw 
a  sight  which  so  frightened  her  that,  in  spite  of  herself, 
she  screamed.  "  What  is  it,  Nell?  "  asked  her  mother, 
waking  instantly.  Nelly  could  not  speak,  but  pointed 
to  the  wall  at  the  back  of  their  berth.  Mrs.  March  sat 
upright  in  bed,  and  gazed  with  astonishment  and  alarm 
almost  as  great  as  Nelly's.  What  could  it  mean ?  There, 
.in  the  smooth  panel  of  black  walnut,  which  was  almost 
as  shining  as  a  looking-glass,  was  the  reflection  of  a 
man's  face.  It  was  the  face  of  the  man  who  had  been 
eating  the  cheese  and  brown  bread  and  onions.  He  had 
a  red  handkerchief  tied  about  his  head  for  a  nightcap ; 
and  he  was  sound  asleep,  with  his  mouth  wide  open. 
While  Mrs.  March  and  Nelly  sat  gazing  breathlessly  at 
this  unaccountable  sight,  the  head  slowly  turned  on  the 


A    NIGHT   IN   A    SLEEPING-CAR  77 

pillow,  and  a  hand  came  up  and  rubbed  one  eye.  Nelly 
nearly  screamed  again.  Her  mother  put  her  hand 
quickly  over  her  mouth. 

"  Hush,  Nell!  "  she  said;  "  do  not  be  frightened.  I 
see  how  it  is." 

The  partitions  which  separated  the  sleeping-berths  one 
from  the  other  did  not  come  up  close  to  the  wall  of  the 
car.  There  was  room  to  put  your  hand  through  between. 
The  black  walnut  lining  of  the  car  was  so  polished  that 
it  reflected  like  a  looking-glass;  so  each  person  could 
see,  in  the  back  of  his  berth,  the  face  of  the  person  who 
was  lying  in  the  berth  next  before  his. 

1 '  Goodness !  ' '  exclaimed  Mrs.  March ;  "  if  we  can  see 
into  that  berth,  they  can  see  into  this  one;  "  and  she 
seized  one  of  the  pillows,  and  set  it  up  against  the  crack. 
Then  she  looked  down,  and  saw  a  similar  opening  at  the 
foot  of  the  berth.  This  one  she  stopped  up  with  another 
pillow. 

11  There,  Nell,"  she  said,  "  now  we  can  dress  without 
being  overlooked." 

Nelly  did  not  quite  understand  how  these  shining 
black  walnut  panels  could  have  acted  like  looking- 
glasses,  and  she  was  a  little  afraid  still  that  the  queer, 
shaggy  face  with  the  red  silk  nightcap  would  glare  out 
at  her  again;  but  she  hurried  on  her  clothes,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  was  ready  to  go  to  the  little  wash-room 
which  was  provided  for  ladies  at  the  end  of  the  car. 

"  We  are  so  early,"  said  Mrs.  March,  "  that  I  think 
we  will  be  the  first  ones  there. ' ' 

Ah,  how  mistaken  she  was !  When  they  reached  the 
little  room,  there  stood  two  women  waiting  for  their 
turn  at  the  wash-stand;  a  thir(r*was  washing  her  face. 
As  Mrs.  March  and  Nelly  appeared,  one  of  those  who 
were  waiting  called  out :  — 

"  Come  in.  Don't  go  away.  If  you  do,  you'll  lose 
your  turn :  there  '11  be  lots  more  here  directly. ' ' 


78  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

ee  Thank  you,"  said  Mrs.  March:  "  my  daughter  and 
I  will  wait  there,  just  outside  the  door.  We  will  not 
intrude  upon  you." 

At  this,  all  three  of  the  women  laughed,  and  one  said : 

11  H'm!  there  ain't  much  question  of  intrudin'  in 
these  sleepin '-cars.  It's  just  a  kind  o'  big  bedroom, 
that 'sail." 

Mrs.  March  smiled,  and  said :  ' '  Yes,  I  think  so ;  ' ' 
and  the  women  went  on  talking.  They  were  relating 
their  experiences  in  the  night.  One  of  them  said :  — 

"  Well,  I  got  along  very  well  till  somebody  opened  a 
window,  and  then  I  thought  I  should  ha '  froze  to  death ; 
but  my  husband  he  called  the  conductor  up,  and  they 
shut  all  the  ventilators  up ;  but  I  just  shivered  all  night. 
Real  good  soap  this  is :  ain  't  it  ?  " 

Mrs.  March  looked  warningly  at  Nelly,  who  was  just 
about  to  speak.  "  Keep  quiet,  Nell,"  she  said.  But 
Nelly  whispered:  "  Do  you  suppose  that  was  our  win- 
dow, mamma?  " 

"  I  dare  say,"  answered  Mrs.  March,  in  a  still  lower 
whisper :  * '  keep  still,  Nell. ' ' 

"  Well,  I  wa'n't  too  cold,"  said  the  woman  at  the 
wash-bowl.  She  had  her  false  teeth  in  her  hand,  and 
was  washing  them  under  the  little  slow  stream  running 
from  the  faucet :  so  she  could  not  speak  very  distinctly. 
"  Well,  I  wa'n't  too  cold,"  she  said,  "  but  I'll  tell  you 
what  did  happen  to  me.  In  the  middle  o'  the  night  I 
felt  somethin'  against  my  head,  right  on  the  very  top 
on't;  and  what  do  you  think  it  was?  'Twas  the  feet 
of  the  man  in  the  next  section  to  our'n.  '  Well,'  says 
I,  '  this  is  more'n  I  can  stand;  '  and  I  gave  'em  a  real 
shove.  I  reckon  he  waked  up,  for  I  didn't  feel  'em  no 
more." 

At  this  Nelly  had  to  run  away.  She  could  not  keep 
the  laugh  back  any  longer.  And  Mrs.  March  thought  it 
better  to  let  her  go,  for  she  did  not  know  what  might  be 


A   NIGHT   IN   A   SLEEPING-CAR  79 

coming  next  in  the  conversation  of  these  women.  At 
the  other  end  of  the  car,  Nelly  saw  Rob,  carrying  some- 
thing done  up  in  newspaper  in  his  hand.  She  ran  after 
him.  He  put  his  finger  on  his  lips  as  she  drew  near  him, 
and  made  signs  to  her  not  to  speak.  She  could  not 
imagine  what  he  was  carrying.  He  went  very  fast  to 
the  outside  door  of  the  car,  opened  it,  and  threw  the 
parcel  out. 

"  What  was  it,  Rob?  "  said  Nell,  eagerly. 

11  I  won't  tell  you,"  said  Rob:    "  you'll  tell." 

11  Oh!  I  won't;   I  won't;  indeed  I  won't,"  said  Nell. 

li  Honest  Indian?  "  said  Rob. 

"  Honest  Indian,"  said  Nelly. 

This  was  the  strongest  form  of  pledge  which  Rob  and 
Nelly  ever  gave.  It  was  like  a  sort  of  oath  among  the 
children  in  Mayfield.  If  a  child  broke  his  promise  after 
he  had  said  "  Honest  Indian,"  there  was  nothing  too 
bad  for  him. 

"  Well,"  said  Rob,  coming  very  close  to  Nelly,  and 
speaking  in  a  low  whisper,  "  it  was  those  people's  string 
of  onions !  ' : 

1 1  Why,  Rob  !  ' '  cried  Nelly,  in  a  horrified  tone, ' '  why, 
Rob !  that 's  stealing.  How  could  you  ?  ' ' 

"  'Tain't  stealing  either,  Nell  March,"  said  Rob, 
stoutly ;  ' l  I  haven 't  got  'em.  Stealing  is  taking  things. 
I  haven't  got  them.  I  didn't  want  the  old,  horrid  things. 
I  just  threw  them  away.  That  ain  't  taking. ' ' 

Nelly  still  looked  distressed.  "  Papa  wouldn't  like 
it, ' '  she  said,  ' '  nor  mamma  either.  They  were  all  those 
people  had  to  eat,  except  bread  and  cheese.  Oh,  Rob ! 
I  think  it  was  awful  mean  in  you. ' ' 

"  I  don't  care:  I  wish  I  hadn't  told  you.  I  don't 
think  it  was  mean.  It  was  good  enough  for  them  for 
making  such  a  smell  in  the  cars.  I  heard  some  of  the 
gentlemen  saying  they  hadn't  any  business  with  onions 
in  the  car,  —  that  the  conductor  ought  to  make  them 


80  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

throw  them  away.    Anyhow,  Nell,  you  promised  not  to 
tell." 

"  Yes,"  said  Nell,  "  but  I  never  once  thought  of  its 
being  such  a  thing  as  this.  What  do  you  suppose  they  '11 
do?  They  might  have  you  took  up  and  put  in  prison, 
Rob." 

Rob  looked  a  little  disturbed,  but  he  replied  bravely: 

"  Oh,  pshaw!  I  don't  know  whose  onions  they  were 
anyhow.  I  just  found  them  rolling  round  on  the  floor, 
and  I  picked  them  up:  .they  weren't  anybody's  when 
they  were  out  loose  in  the  car.  I  don't  care:  we  won't 
have  such  a  horrid  smell  here  to-day." 

Nelly  walked  away  looking  very  unhappy.  She  dis- 
liked the  smell  of  onions  as  much  as  Rob  did;  but  she 
would  rather  have  had  the  string  of  onions  in  her  lap 
all  day  than  have  had  Rob  do  such  a  thing  as  this ;  and 
she  felt  sure  it  would  all  be  known,  somehow,  before  the 
day  came  to  an  end,  —  as  you  will  see  that  it  was. 

After  everybody  had  got  up,  and  the  beds  and  pillows 
and  blankets  were  all  packed  away  in  the  little  cup- 
boards overhead,  and  the  car  was  put  in  order  for  the 
day,  the  people  who  had  lunch-baskets  began  to  eat 
their  breakfasts.  Nelly  sat  very  still  in  her  seat,  and 
watched  to  see  what  would  happen  when  the  onions 
were  found  to  be  missing.  Rob  had  walked  away,  and 
stood  at  the  farther  door  of  the  car.  He  seemed  to  be 
very  busy  looking  out  at  the  scenery. 

Mrs.  March  had  a  good  little  breakfast  of  boiled  eggs 
and  bread  and  butter  and  tea  and  milk,  all  ready  on  the 
table. 

"  Call  Rob,"  she  said  to  Nelly.  Nelly  walked  to  the 
end  of  the  car,  and  said :  — 

11  Come,  Rob.    Mamma's  got  breakfast  all  ready." 

Without  looking  round,  Rob  whispered :  — 

"  Have  they  missed  'em?  " 

I  don't  know:    I  haven't  heard  any  thing,"  an- 


( <. 


A    NIGHT   IN   A    SLEEPING-CAR  81 

swered  Nelly,  in  the  same  low  tone.  And  they  walked 
back  together,  Nelly  looking  much  more  anxious  than 
Rob  did.  Mrs.  March  noticed  their  grave  faces  as  they 
took  their  seats,  and  she  said :  — 

' '  You  are  tired :  aren  't  you,  children  ?  ' ' 
"  Oh,    no,   mamma!  "'    they   both    exclaimed;     "  we 
aren 't  a  bit  tired !  ' ' 

But  their  faces  did  not  brighten.    If  the  whole  truth 
were  told,  it  must  be  owned  that  they  were  both  very 
unhappy.     The  more  Rob  thought  about  those  onions, 
the  more  he  felt  afraid  that  it  was  stealing  to  have 
thrown  them  away ;  and  this  made  him  wretched  enough. 
And  the  more  Nelly  thought  about  it,  the  surer  she 
felt  that  Rob  was  going  to  get  into  trouble  before  the 
thing  was  done  with.    Neither  of  them  ate  much  break- 
fast ;   they  were  both  listening  to  what  was  going  on  in 
the  next  section.    They  could  hear  such  sentences  as :  — 
"  I  know  I  left  'em  here  last  night." 
"  Perhaps  they  went  out  of  the  window." 
' '  They  couldn  't :   they  were  on  the  floor. ' ' 
"  That  black  rascal's  got  'em,  you  may  be  sure." 
At  this  last  sentence,  Nelly  gave  Rob  a  push  under 
the  table  with  her  foot,  and  his  face  turned  very  red. 
In  a  moment  more,  Ben  entered  the  car;    as  he  was 
passing  the  Marches'  table,  the  angry  man  from  the 
next  section  called  out,  in  a  very  rude  way :  — 

' '  Here,  you  nigger,  what  'd  you  do  with  my  onions  ?  ' ' 
Ben  stood  stock-still,  he  was  so  astonished. 
'  Ungyuns !  "  he  exclaimed ;    "I  never  seed  no  ung- 
yuns. ' ' 

' '  Yes,  you  did !  You  must  have :  you  Ve  stowed  'em 
away  somewhere.  Now  jest  you  pass  'em  out,  or  I'll 
report  you." 

Ben  had  never  been  accused  of  stealing  before.  He 
looked  the  man  full  in  the  face,  and  said :  — 

"  You  can  do  all  the  reportin'  yer  want  to,  mister. 


82  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

I  never  seed  your  ungynns. ' '    And  he  was  about  to  pass 
on;    but  the  man  was  so  angry,  and  so  sure  that  Ben 
must  have  taken  his  onions,  that  he  stood  in  the  middle 
of  the  aisle,  right  in  Ben's  way,  and  would  not  let  him 
pass. 

"  Hand  'em  over  now,"  he  said,  in  the  most  insulting 
tone ;  *  *  hand  'em  over. ' ' 

Mr.  March,  who  had  been  watching  the  scene  with 
some  amusement,  was  very  much  astonished,  on  looking 
at  Rob  at  this  moment,  to  see  his  cheeks  flushed,  his  lips 
parted  as  if  he  were  about  to  speak. 

"  Why,  Rob,"  he  said,  "  do  you  know  where  the 
onions  are?  " 

4 'No,  "said  Rob. 

Nelly  gave  an  involuntary  gasp,  under  her  breath, 

II  Oh!  " 

Mr.  March  looked  at  her  in  still  greater  surprise. 

"  Do  you,  Nell?  "  he  said. 

Nelly  did  not  reply,  but  looked  at  Rob,  who  said :  — 

"  I  don't  know  where  they  are  now."  But  his  ex- 
pression was  a  very  guilty  one. 

* '  Rob !  ' '  said  his  father,  sternly,  '  *  you  know  some- 
thing about  those  onions :  tell  me  this  moment. ' ' 

Nelly  clasped  her  hands  tight,  and  gave  a  little  cry, 
"  Oh,  Rob!  " 

Now  that  the  final  moment  had  come,  Rob  spoke  up 
like  a  man. 

'  *  Papa,  I  threw  them  out  of  the  car  door,  —  they 
made  such  a  smell.  I  found  them  close  to  our  berth 
when  I  first  got  up,  and  they  smelled  so  horrid  I  threw 
them  away.  Perhaps  they  weren't  this  man's  onions," 
said  poor  Rob,  clutching  at  a  last  hope. 

Mr.  March  could  hardly  believe  his  ears. 

' '  You !  You  took  what  did  not  belong  to  you,  and 
then  threw  it  away !  Why,  Rob  !  I  am  ashamed  of  you ! 
Why,  Rob,  I  wouldn't  have  believed  it!  "  exclaimed 


A   NIGHT   IN   A    SLEEPING-CAR  83 

Mr.  March.  "  You  will  pay  for  those  onions  out  of 
your  allowance."  And  he  looked  at  Rob  more  sternly 
than  he  had  ever  done  in  his  life. 

"  Come,  now,  immediately,"  he  continued,  "  and 
apologize  to  the  man."  And  he  took  Rob  by  the  hand 
and  led  him  to  the  next  seat. 

' '  I  am  very  sorry  to  tell  you,  sir, ' '  he  said,  ' '  that  my 
little  boy  here  took  your  onions  and  threw  them  away. 
He  shall  buy  some  for  you  at  the  very  first  station  where 
we  can. ' ' 

"  What'd  yer  throw  'em  away  for?  "  said  the  man, 
looking  curiously  and  not  unkindly  at  Rob,  whose  face 
was  enough  to  make  anybody  sorry  for  him. 

"  Because  I  hate  the  smell  of  them  so,"  said  Rob, 
sturdily;  "  and  my  mamma  hates  them  too;  and  I 
found  them  rolling  round  on  the  floor,  by  our  berth; 
and  I  just  picked  them  up  and  threw  them  away.  I 
didn't  think  about  their  being  anybody's,  —  not  until 
afterwards,"  he  added;  "  and  I'm  very  sorry,  sir.  I'll 
buy  you  some  more  out  of  my  own  money. ' ' 

Mr.  March  smiled  at  this  little  explanation:  he  saw 
that  Rob  had  not  really  intended  to  do  wrong. 

"  No,  no,  my  boy,  you  needn't  do  that,"  said  the 
man;  "  we're  going  to  get  off  before  dinner  time;  an' 
we've  got  a  bin  full  o'  onions  at  home.  I  expect  they 
do  smell  kind  o'  strong  to  folks  that  ain't  used  to  'em, 
but  they're  mighty  healthy." 

Rob  walked  back  to  his  seat  somewhat  relieved,  but 
still  very  much  ashamed.  He  glanced  up  in  his  mother 's 
face.  She  looked  mortified;  still  there  was  a  twinkle 
in  her  eyes:  in  the  bottom  of  her  heart,  she  sympa- 
thized with  Rob's  impulse  to  be  rid  of  the  onions  at 
any  cost. 

1 '  Oh,  Rob !  "  she  said,  ' '  how  could  you  do  such  a 
thing  ?  You  knew  they  must  belong  to  somebody. ' ' 

"  Well,  I  did  afterwards,  —  after  I  told  Nell;    but, 


84  NELLY'S    SILVER    MINE 

when  I  picked  them  up,  I  didn  't  think  any  thing  except 
how  they  smelt.  It  was  a  good  riddance  anyhow. " 

The  sick  lady,  who  had  had  to  lie  down  all  the  way, 
was  in  the  section  next  but  one  to  Mr.  March's.  She 
had  looked  much  amused  during  all  this  conversation, 
which  she  could  not  help  hearing.  Mrs.  March  noticed 
her  pleasant  smile,  and  thought  she  would  like  to  do 
something  for  her.  So  she  gave  Nelly  a  nice  cup  of  hot 
tea  to  take  over  to  her.  The  lady  was  very  grateful. 

"  Oh!  "  she  said,  "  this  is  the  first  good  tea  I  have 
tasted  since  I  left  home." 

Then  she  made  Nelly  sit  down  on  the  bed  beside  her, 
and  talked  to  her  so  sweetly  that  Nelly  felt  as  if  she 
had  known  her  all  her  life;  and  pretty  soon  she  told 
her  all  about  Mrs.  Napoleon. 

"  Bring  her  here.     Let  me  see  her,"  said  the  lady. 

"  Oh,  I  can't  bear  to  have  anybody  see  her!  "  said 
Nelly:  "  she  looks  awful." 

"  Never  mind:  we'll  draw  the  curtains,  and  nobody 
else  shall  see. ' ' 

So  she  called  her  nurse,  who  was  sitting  near;  and, 
as  soon  as  Nelly  had  climbed  up  into  the  berth,  the 
nurse  drew  the  curtains  tight  and  shut  them  in  together. 
It  seemed  to  Mrs.  March  a  long  time  before  Nelly  came 
out.  When  she  came  she  had  two  small  parcels  in  her 
hands.  They  were  both  in  nice  white  tissue  paper,  tied 
up  with  pink  ribbon.  Nelly  looked  as  if  she  had  been 
crying,  but  yet  she  looked  happy;  and  the  sick  lady 
had  a  most  beautiful  smile  on  her  face.  Nelly  gave  one 
of  the  parcels  to  her  mother,  and  said :  — 

"  Mamma,  will  you  please  pack  this  in  the  bag?  It 
is  the  Empress's  clothes.  Perhaps  I  may  have  another 
doll  some  day  that  they  will  fit. ' ' 

Then  she  handed  the  other  parcel  to  her  father,  and 
said :  — 

"  Please  throw  this  out  of  the  window,  papa?  " 


A   NIGHT   IN   A    SLEEPING-CAR  85 

' '  What  is  it,  Nell  ?  "  he  said,  surprised. 

Nelly's  voice  trembled  a  little;  but  she  answered 
bravely. 

"  Mrs.  Napoleon,  papa.  That  nice  lady  looked  at 
her,  and  said  she  never  could  be  mended;  and  if  she 
were  me,  she'd  throw  her  right  away.  She  says  I'll 
feel  better  as  soon  as  she  is  out  of  my  sight. ' ' 

Mr.  March  looked  over  at  the  sick  lady  and  bowed 
and  smiled. 

"  She  is  quite  right,  Nell.  You'll  forget  all  about 
it  much  quicker.  Good-by,  Mrs.  Napoleon,"  he  said, 
and  threw  the  white  parcel  with  its  pink  ribbons  as  far 
as  he  could  throw  it. 

"  I  don't  want  to  forget  about  it,  papa,"  replied 
Nelly,  and  pressed  her  face  close  against  the  window- 
pane,  so  as  not  to  lose  the  last  glimpse  of  the  pack- 
age. 

Never  were  people  gladder  to  reach  any  place  than 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  and  Nelly  and  Rob  were  to  reach 
Denver.  They  were  so  tired  that  they  went  right  to 
bed  as  soon  as  they  entered  the  hotel.  They  did  not 
want  any  supper.  The  next  morning,  however,  they 
were  up  early,  all  rested  and  ready  to  look  at  every 
thing.  The  first  thing  they  saw  as  they  walked  out  of 
the  hotel  door,  was  a  long  range  of  high  mountains  to 
the  south.  They  looked  down  the  long  street  on  which 
the  hotel  stood,  and  saw  these  mountains  rising  up  like 
a  great  wall  across  the  end  of  the  street.  They  were 
covered  with  snow  two-thirds  of  the  way  down.  The 
lower  part  which  was  not  covered  with  snow  was  of  a 
very  dark  blue  color;  and  the  upper  part,  where  the 
snow  lay,  shone  in  the  sun  so  dazzling  bright  that  it 
made  their  eyes  ache  to  look  at  it.  The  sky  was  as  blue 
as  blue  could  be,  and  had  not  a  cloud  in  it;  and  some 
of  the  sharp  peaks  of  the  mountains  looked  as  if  they 
were  really  cutting  through  the  sky.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 


86  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

March  and  Nelly  and  Rob  all  stood  still  in  the  middle 
of  the  street  looking  at  the  beautiful  sight.  Several 
carriages  and  wagons  came  very  near  running  over 
them,  but  they  hardly  observed  it.  No  one  of  them 
spoke  for  some  minutes:  even  Rob  was  overawed  by 
the  grandeur  of  the  mountains.  But  his  overawed  si- 
lence did  not  last  long.  In  a  few  minutes,  he  broke  out 
with :  — 

"  Bully  mountains!  ain't  they?  Come  on!  "  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  March  laughed. 

"  Well,  Rob,"  said  his  father,  "  you've  brought  us 
to  our  senses :  haven 't  you  ?  But  I  do  wish  you  wouldn  't 
talk  slang." 

"  No,  Rob,"  said  his  mother.  "  How  many  times 
have  I  asked  you  not  to  say  '  bully  '?  " 

"  I  know  it,  mother,"  replied  Rob;  "  but  you  don't 
tell  me  any  other  word  to  say  instead  of  it.  A  fellow 
must  say  something ;  and  *  bully  '  's  such  a  bully  word. 
I  don't  believe  there's  any  other  word  that's  good  for 
any  thing  when  things  are  '  bully.'  ' 

'  *  Oh,  dear  Rob !  dear  Rob !  Three  times  in  one  sen- 
tence !  What  shall  we  do  to  you  ?  We  will  really  have 
to  hire  you  to  leave  off  that  word,  as  grandpa  hired 
you  to  drink  cold  water,  at  so  much  a  week. ' ' 

"  Mamma,"  said  Rob,  solemnly,  "  you  couldn't  hire 
me  to  leave  off  saying  *  bully.'  Money  wouldn't  pay 
me :  I  try  not  to  say  it  often,  because  you  hate  it  so ; 
but  I  don't  expect  to  leave  it  off  till  I'm  a  man.  I  just 
have  to  say  it  sometimes." 

"  Oh,  Rob,  you  don't  '  have  '  to  say  it!  "  exclaimed 
Nell.  ' '  Nobody  '  has  to  say  '  any  thing. ' ' 

"  Girls  don't,"  said  Rob,  patronizingly:  "  but  girls 
are  different;  I'm  always  telling  you  that  girls  don't 
need  words  like  boys.  It's  just  like  whistling:  girls 
needn't  whistle;  but  a  boy  —  why,  a  boy'd  die  if  he 
couldn't  whistle." 


A   NIGHT   IN   A   SLEEPING-CAR  87 

11  I  can  whistle/'  said  Nell.  "  I  can  whistle  most  as 
well  as  you." 

"  You  can't,  Nell,"  exclaimed  Rob,  utterly  aston- 
ished. 

For  r^ply,  Nelly  quietly  whistled  a  bar  of  Yankee 
Doodle.  Rob  stared  at  her. 

"  Why,  so  you  can!  "  said  he.  ''I  didn't  know 
girls  ever  whistled:  I  thought  they  were  made  so  they 
couldn't." 

' '  Oh,  no !  "  said  Mrs.  March ;  "  I  used  to  be  a  great 
whistler  when  I  was  a  girl;  but  I  never  let  anybody 
hear  me,  if  I  could  help  it.  And  Nelly  knows  that  it 
is  not  ladylike  for  a  girl  to  whistle.  She  likes  to  whistle 
as  well  as  you  like  to  say  '  bully,'  however;  so  you 
might  leave  off  that  as  well  as  she  can  leave  off  whis- 
tling." 

"  But  you  used  to  whistle  all  alone  by  yourself," 
persisted  Rob;  "  and  it  is  just  as  good  fun  to  whistle 
all  alone  as  with  other  people;  but  it  wouldn't  be 
any  fun  to  go  off  all  alone,  and  say  '  bully !  bully ! 
bully!  ' 

Mrs.  March  put  her  hands  over  her  ears,  and  ex- 
claimed :  * '  Oh,  Rob !  Rob !  That  makes  six  times ! 
That  dreadful  word!  " 

"  Oh!  "  said  Rob,  pretending  to  be  very  innocent, 
"  do  you  mind  my  saying  it  that  way?  That  wasn't 
saying  it  really:  only  talking  about  it,"  and  Rob  gave 
his  mother  a  mischievous  look. 

The  streets  were  thronged  with  people;  everybody 
seemed  in  a  hurry;  the  shop  windows  were  full  of  just 
such  things  as  one  sees  in  shop  windows  at  the  East; 
through  street  after  street  they  walked,  growing  more 
and  more  surprised  every  moment. 

11  Why,  Robert,"  said  Mrs.  March,  "  except  for  the 
bustling  and  excited  air  of  the  people,  I  should  not  know 
that  I  was  not  in  an  Eastern  city." 


88  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

1 1  Nor  I, ' '  said  Mr.  March :  "  I  am  greatly  astonished 
to  see  such  a  civilized-looking  place. ' ' 

Just  then  an  open  carriage  rolled  past  them.  It  was 
a  beautiful  carriage,  lined  with  red  satin. 

1 '  Oh,  mamma !  there  is  the  nice  lady  who  was  in  the 
cars,"  said  Nelly:  "  let  me  go  and  speak  to  her." 

The  lady  saw  them  and  stopped  her  carriage:  she 
was  very  glad  to  see  their  faces;  she  felt  so  lonely  in 
this  strange  place.  She  was  all  alone  with  her  doctor 
and  nurse ;  and  already  she  was  so  homesick  she  was 
almost  ready  to  turn  about  and  go  home. 

* l  Oh !  do  let  your  little  girl  jump  in  and  take  a  drive 
with  me,"  she  said.  "  It  will  be  a  great  favor  to  me 
if  you  will." 

11  Oh,  mamma!  let  me;  let  me,"  cried  Nelly;  and, 
almost  before  her  mother  had  fully  pronounced  the 
words  giving  her  permission,  she  was  climbing  up  the 
carriage  steps.  As  she  took  her  seat  by  the  lady's  side, 
she  looked  wistfully  back  at  Rob.  Mrs.  Williams  (that 
was  the  lady's  name)  observed  the  glance,  and  said: 
'  *  Won 't  you  let  the  little  boy  come  too  ?  Would  you 
like  to  come,  dear?  ': 

"  No,  thank  you,"  said  Rob:  "  I'd  rather  walk.  I 
can  see  better." 

' '  Oh,  Rob !  how  can  you  ?  ' '  exclaimed  Nelly,  but  the 
driver  touched  his  horses  with  the  whip,  and  they  were 
off. 

What  a  drive  that  was  for  Nelly!  She  never  forgot 
it.  It  was  her  first  sight  of  the  grand  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. The  city  of  Denver  lies  on  a  great  plain ;  about 
thirty  miles  away  stands  the  mountain  range;  between 
the  city  and  the  mountains  runs  a  river,  —  the  Platte 
River,  —  which  has  green  trees  along  its  bank.  Mrs. 
Williams  took  Nelly  out  on  high  ground  to  the  east,  from 
which  she  could  look  over  the  whole  city,  and  the  river, 
and  out  to  the  beautiful  mountains.  Some  of  the  peaks 


A   NIGHT   IN   A   SLEEPING-CAR  89 

were  as  solid  white  as  white  clouds,  and  looked  almost 
like  clouds  suddenly  made  to  stand  still  in  the  skies. 
Mrs.  Williams  loved  mountains  very  much ;  and,  as  she 
looked  at  Nelly's  face,  she  saw  that  Nelly  loved  them 
too.  Nelly  said  very  little;  but  she  kept  hold  of  Mrs. 
Williams 's  hand,  and,  whenever  they  came  to  a  particu- 
larly beautiful  view,  she  would  press  it  so  hard  that  once 
or  twice  Mrs.  Williams  cried  out:  "  Dear  child,  you 
hurt  me:  don't  squeeze  so  tight;  "  upon  which  Nelly, 
very  much  ashamed,  would  let  go  of  her  hand  for  a  few 
minutes,  but  presently,  in  her  excitement,  would  be  hold- 
ing it  again  as  tight  as  ever.  Mrs.  Williams  was  a  widow 
lady :  she  had  lost  her  husband  and  her  only  child  —  a 
little  girl  about  Nelly's  age  —  only  two  years  before, 
and  she  had  been  an  invalid  ever  since.  As  soon  as  she 
saw  Nelly's  face  in  the  cars,  she  had  fancied  that  she 
looked  like  her  little  girl  who  was  dead.  Her  name  was 
Ellen  too,  and  she  had  always  been  called  Elly ;  so  that 
Nelly's  name  had  a  familiar  sound  to  her.  Mrs.  Williams 
was  a  very  rich  lady ;  and,  if  Nelly 's  father  and  mother 
had  been  poor  people,  she  would  have  asked  them  at 
once  to  give  Nelly  to  her.  But,  of  course,  she  knew  that 
that  would  be  out  of  the  question;  so  all  she  could  do 
was  to  try  to  make  Nelly  have  a  good  time  as  long  as  she 
was  with  her.  After  they  had  driven  all  about  the 
city,  and  had  seen  all  there  was  to  see,  she  said  to  the 
driver : 

"  Now  go  to  the  best  toy  store  in  the  city."  Nelly 
did  not  hear  this  direction :  she  was  absorbed  in  looking 
at  the  mountains.  So  she  was  much  surprised  when 
they  stopped  at  the  shop,  and  Mrs.  Williams  said :  — 

if  Now,  Nelly  dear,  I  want  you  to  go  in  and  buy  some- 
thing for  me :  will  you  ?  I  can 't  get  out  of  the  carriage 
myself." 

' '  Yes  indeed, ' '  exclaimed  Nelly,  ' '  if  I  can ;  but  I 
never  went  into  a  shop  alone  in  my  life.  Mamma  al- 


90  NELLY'S   SILVER   NINE 

ways  goes  with  me.  Can't  I  bring  what  you  want  out 
here  for  you  to  look  at?  " 

Mrs.  Williams  laughed. 

"  You'll  be  a  better  judge  of  it  than  I,  Nell,"  she 
said.  "  It  is  a  wax  doll  I  want  for  a  young  friend  of 
mine,  —  just  about  such  an  one  as  you  had  in  the  cars." 

Wasn't  Nelly  a  very  simple  little  girl  never  to  think 
that  Mrs.  Williams  meant  to  buy  it  for  her?  She  never 
so  much  as  thought  of  it.  * '  Oh !  "  said  she,  ' '  how  glad 
she'll  be!  I  hope  she'll  have  better  luck  with  it  than  I 
had.  You  tell  her  not  to  take  her  on  any  journeys.  Is 
it  your  own  little  girl  ?  ' : 

Then  Nelly  saw  the  tears  come  in  Mrs.  Williams 's 
eyes :  her  lips  quivered,  and  she  said :  — 

1 '  My  own  little  girl  is  in  heaven ;  but  this  doll  is  for 
a  little  girl  I  love  very  much,  who  looks  like  my  little 
girl.  Run  in,  dear,  and  see  what  you  can  find." 

The  shopkeeper  looked  quite  surprised  to  see  such  a 
little  girl  coming  up  to  the  counter,  and  asking  if  he  had 
any  big  wax  dolls  with  eyes  which  would  open. 

' '  Yes,  sis, ' '  he  said,  ' '  we  have  two ;  but  they  cost 
too  much  money  for  you,  I  reckon. ' ' 

Nelly  did  not  like  being  called  "  sis." 

11  My  name  is  not  sis,"  she  said,  "  and  the  doll  is  for 
a  sick  lady  out  in  the  carriage.  Won't  you  please  bring 
them  out  for  her  to  look  at?  "  and  Nelly  turned,  and 
walked  out  of  the  shop. 

'  *  Hoity  toity !  ' '  said  the  man.  ' '  What  airs  we  put 
on,  don't  we,  for  small  fry!  Eastern  folks,  I  reckon;  " 
but  he  went  to  a  drawer,  and  took  out  his  two  wax  dolls, 
and  carried  them  to  the  carriage.  Each  doll  was  in  a 
box  by  itself.  One  was  dressed  in  pink  satin,  and  one 
in  white  muslin. 

"  Which  is  the  prettiest,  Nelly?  "  said  Mrs.  Williams. 

' '  Oh,  the  one  in  white  muslin,  —  ever  so  much  the 
prettiest !  My  mamma  says  satin  is  very  silly  on  dolls, 


A   NIGHT   IN   A    SLEEPING-CAR  91 

and  I  think  so  too.  Mrs.  Napoleon  had  a  blue  satin 
dress,  and  I  gave  it  to  Mabel  Martin.  She  never  wore 
it  but  once,  —  the  day  she  came ;  she  had  it  on  when 
she  was  in  the  stocking;  but  I  hated  it  on  her." 

"  In  the  stocking!  "  said  Mrs.  Williams;  "  that  big 
doll  never  went  into  a  stocking.  What  do  you  mean  ?  ' ' 

11  Oh,  not  into  a  common  stocking!  "  said  Nelly; 
"  into  one  of  my  grandpa's  stockings.  Mamma  always 
hangs  his  stockings  up  for  us  at  Christmas." 

Mrs.  Williams  was  still  more  perplexed. 

"  Why,  child,"  she  said,  "  how  big  is  your  grandpa? 
Is  he  a  giant?  " 

"  Oh,  no!  "  laughed  Nelly,  "  he  isn't  very  big;  but 
these  are  great  stockings  he  had  made  to  sleep  in.  They 
come  all  the  way  up  his  legs,  —  both  parts  of  his  leg,  — 
way  up  above  his  knee,  as  far  as  his  legs  go,  so  as  to 
keep  him  warm  when  he's  asleep.  He  doesn't  sleep  in 
any  night-gown. ' ' 

Mrs.  Williams  laughed  heartily  at  this,  and  was  about 
to  ask  Nelly  some  other  questions,  when  the  shopkeeper 
interrupted  her  with :  — 

"  Can't  stand  here  all  day,  mum.  Do  ye  want  the 
dolls  or  not :  say  quick. ' ' 

Mrs.  Williams  was  not  accustomed  to  be  spoken  to 
in  this  manner,  and  she  looked  at  him  in  surprise. 

' '  Oh !  "he  said,  in  answer  to  her  look,  ' '  you  ain  't  in 
the  East,  you'll  find  out.  We  Western  men've  got  too 
much  to  do  to  dangle  round  all  day  on  a  single  trade. 
Do  ye  want  the  dolls?  If  not,  I'll  take  'em  back." 

"  I  am  sorry  you  are  in  such  a  hurry  all  the  time, 
sir, ' '  said  Mrs.  Williams,  slowly :  "it  must  be  very  dis- 
agreeable. I  will  take  one  of  these  dolls  as  soon  as  this 
little  girl  has  decided  which  one  is  the  prettiest." 

"  Oh,  the  white-muslin-gown  one,  ever  so  much,"  ex- 
claimed Nelly. 

"  Very  well.    You  may  put  it  up  for  me,"  said  Mrs. 


92  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

Williams,  taking  out  her  purse.  "  How  much  does  it 
cost?  " 

"  Ten  dollars,"  said  the  man. 

' '  Oh,  oh !  "  exclaimed  Nelly,  ' '  mine  was  only  five, 
and  it  was  just  as  big  as  this  one. ' ' 

The  man  looked  a  little  embarrassed.  The  doll  did 
not  really  cost  ten  dollars :  it  had  only  cost  five ;  but 
he  thought  Mrs.  Williams  looked  like  a  rich  lady,  and 
he  might  as  well  ask  all  he  could  get. 

"  Well,  this  cost  me  six  dollars  in  New  York,"  he 
said;  "  but  there  isn't  much  sale  for  them  here:  you 
can  have  it  for  seven." 

Mrs.  Williams  paid  him  the  seven  dollars,  and  they 
drove  away  with  the  box  with  the  doll  in  it,  lying  in 
Nelly's  lap.  Presently  Nelly  said:  — 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Williams,  won't  you  let  me  send  all  Mrs. 
Napoleon's  clothes  to  the  little  girl  this  dolly's  for?  I 
think  they'd  fit  this  dolly:  don't  you?  " 

"  You  dear  little  thing!  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Williams; 
"  would  you  really  send  all  those  pretty  clothes  to  a 
little  girl  you  don't  know?  " 

; '  But  you  know  her, ' '  said  Nelly,  ' '  and  you  said  you 
loved  her;  so  I'd  like  to  have  her  have  them.  Besides, 
I  don't  believe  I'll  ever  have  another  dolly  like  Mrs. 
Napoleon :  at  any  rate,  not  for  a  great  many  years. ' ' 

' '  Very  well,  dear, ' '  replied  Mrs.  Williams :  "I  will 
take  them.  She  will  be  all  the  more  pleased  to  get  so 
many  extra  suits.  When  we  stop  at  the  hotel,  you  can 
give  them  to  me. ' ' 

"  The  waterproof  is  torn  some,"  said  Nelly:  "  I 
guess  mamma '11  mend  it." 

"Oh,  never  mind!"  said  Mrs.  Williams.  "This 
little  girl's  mamma  is  a  very  kind  mamma:  she  can 
mend  it." 

When  they  stopped  at  the  hotel,  Nelly  raced  upstairs 
and  burst  into  her  mother's  room. 


A   NIGHT   IN   A   SLEEPING-CAR  93 

"  Mamma!  "  she  exclaimed  almost  as  breathlessly  as 
Rob  was  in  the  habit  of  speaking,  "  mamma,  give  me 
all  Mrs.  Napoleon's  clothes.  The  sick  lady's  bought  a 
beautiful  wax  doll  —  just  Mrs.  Napoleon's  size  —  her 
name's  Mrs.  Williams  —  I  asked  her  —  and  she's  going 
to  send  it  to  a  little  girl  she  loves  very  much  —  her  own 
little  girl's  dead  —  and  I  want  her  to  have  those  clothes 
too,  because  Mrs.  Williams  is  so  kind;  oh,  she's  the 
sweetest  lady !  Give  me  the  clothes,  quick !  ' : 

Mrs.  March  was  looking  in  a  trunk  for  them  while 
Nelly  ran  on.  She  smiled  as  she  handed  them  to  Nelly. 

"  Are  you  sure  you  will  not  want  them  yourself, 
NelH  "  she  said;  "  you  might  have  a  doll  that  they'd 
just  fit." 

"  I  don't  believe  I  ever  will,  mamma,"  said  Nelly, 
"  and  even  if  I  do,  I'd  rather  give  these  clothes  away. 
Mrs.  Williams  is  such  a  sweet  lady  —  you  don't  know, 
mamma!  "  And  Nelly  ran  downstairs  with  the  pack- 
age in  her  hand.  As  she  left  the  room,  Rob  said  to  his 
mother :  — 

"Mamma,  I  bet  she's  bought  the  doll  for  Nell! 
Wouldn  't  that  be  fun  ?  Nell 's  such  a  goose  she  'd  never 
suspect  any  thing!  ': 

"  Hush,  Rob!  "  said  Mrs.  March;  "  don't  put  such 
an  idea  into  Nell's  head.  It  isn't  at  all  likely." 

"  Well,  you'll  see,  mamma.    I'll  bet  you  any  thing." 

1 1  Ladies  don 't  '  bet, '  Rob ;  and  you  know  mamma 
hates  to  hear  you  say  the  word." 

"  Oh,  dear,  mamma!  "  groaned  Rob,  "  you  hate  all 
the  nice  words !  I  wish  ladies  were  just  like  boys !  ' ' 

Late  that  evening,  after  Rob  and  Nelly  were  fast 
asleep,  a  large  parcel  was  brought  to  their  rooms,  ad- 
dressed to  Mrs.  March.  She  opened  it,  and  found  in- 
side—  sure  enough,  as  Rob  had  said  —  the  beautiful 
wax  doll  which  Nelly  had  told  them  about ;  and,  in  the 
box  with  the  doll,  the  little  bundle  of  all  Mrs.  Napo- 


94  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

Icon's  clothes.  A  note  from  Mrs.  Williams  to  Mrs. 
March  was  pinned  on  the  outside  of  the  package.  She 
said :  — 

"  MY  DEAR  MRS.  MARCH,  —  Will  you  allow  me  to  give 
this  doll  to  your  dear,  sweet  little  daughter,  to  supply 
the  place  of  the  lost  Mrs.  Napoleon.  If  you  knew  how 
great  a  pleasure  it  is  to  me  to  do  this,  I  am  sure  you 
would  not  refuse  it.  Your  little  girl  reminds  me  so 
strongly  of  my  own  little  Elly,  who  died  two  years  ago, 
that  I  only  wish  I  could  have  her  always  with  me. 
"  Truly  your  friend,  although  a  stranger, 

"  ISABELLA  WILLIAMS.'' 

' '  Well,  Rob  was  right !  ' '  exclaimed  Mrs.  March,  as 
she  read  this  note.  "  See,  Robert,  what  a  beautiful 
doll  has  come  for  Nelly  from  that  invalid  lady  she  went 
to  drive  with  this  afternoon.  Rob  said  she  had  bought 
it  for  Nelly,  but  I  didn  't  believe  it.  I  don 't  exactly  like 
to  take  such  a  valuable  present  from  a  stranger." 

Mr.  March  was  reading  the  note. 

"  But  we  could  not  refuse,"  he  said.  "  It  would  be 
cruel,  when  she  wants  to  give  it  to  Nelly  because  she 
looks  so  like  her  little  child  that  is  dead." 

"  No,"  said  Mrs.  March;  "  of  course  we  could  not 
refuse. ' ' 

11  She  had  one  of  the  sweetest  and  saddest  faces  I 
ever  saw,"  said  Mr.  March.  "  I  do  not  think  she  will 
live  long.  I  wish  we  could  do  something  for  her. ' ' 

' '  I  will  go  and  see  her  to-morrow  morning,  and  thank 
her  for  the  doll,"  said  Mrs.  March;  "  and  then  I  will 
find  out  whether  we  can  do  any  thing  for  her  or  not.  I 
shall  not  let  Nelly  know  any  thing  about  the  doll  till  we 
are  all  settled.  I  will  pack  it  away  in  my  trunk. ' ' 

"  Yes,  that  will  be  much  wiser,"  said  Mr.  March; 
"  we  won't  have  a  second  Mrs.  Napoleon  disaster." 


A   NIGHT   IN   A   SLEEPING-CAR  95 

Later  in  the  evening,  Deacon  and  Mrs.  Plummer  ar- 
rived; and  the  next  day  was  very  much  taken  up  in 
discussing  plans  with  them,  and  making  arrangements 
for  going  on  their  journey ;  and  it  was  late  in  the  after- 
noon before  Mrs.  March  found  time  to  go  to  the  hotel 
where  Mrs.  Williams  was  staying.  She  found,  to  her 
great  sorrow,  that  Mrs.  Williams  had  left  town  at  noon. 
She  had  gone,  the  landlord  said,  to  Idaho  Springs; 
where  he  believed  she  was  to  take  the  hot  baths.  Mrs. 
March  wrote  a  note  to  her  immediately,  and  the  land- 
lord said  he  would  forward  it;  but  he  was  not  sure  of 
her  address,  and  Mrs.  March  was  very  much  afraid  it 
would  never  reach  her. 

The  Marches  stayed  in  Denver  a  week,  but  they  did 
not  hear  a  word  from  Mrs.  Williams,  and  Mrs.  March 
reproached  herself  very  much  for  not  having  gone  to 
see  her  early  the  next  morning  after  the  doll  came. 

"It  is  evident/'  she  said,  "  that  she  never  got  my 
note;  and  what  must  she  have  thought  of  us  for  not 
acknowledging  such  a  beautiful  present.  It  will  worry 
me  always,  as  often  as  I  see  the  doll." 


CHAPTER   V 

FIRST    GLIMPSES    OF    COLORADO    AND    A    NEW    HOME 

JUST  one  week  from  the  day  they  had  reached  Den- 
ver they  set  out  again  on  their  journey  southward. 
They  were  going  to  a  beautiful  place  in  the  mountains, 
called  the  Ute  Pass.  It  really  is  a  canyon :  you  remem- 
ber I  tried  to  explain  to  you  what  a  canyon  is  like. 
This  canyon  is  called  the  Ute  Pass  because  a  tribe  of 
Indians  named  the  Utes  used  to  come  and  go  through 
it  when  they  were  journeying  from  one  hunting  ground 
to  another.  A  little  stream  comes  down  through  this 
pass,  which  is  called  the  Fountain  Creek.  It  leaps  and 
tumbles  from  rock  to  rock,  and  is  always  in  a  foam. 
A  great  many  years  ago,  some  Frenchmen  who  were 
here  named  it  "  The  fountain  that  boils."  Part  of  the 
canyon  is  very  narrow,  and  the  rocky  walls  are  very 
high.  There  is  a  good  road  through  it  now,  close  beside 
the  brook;  but  when  the  Indians  used  to  go  through  it 
there  was  no  road :  they  had  a  little  narrow  path ;  some 
parts  of  it  are  still  to  be  seen,  high  up  on  the  ledges  of 
the  rock,  wherever  there  is  room  enough  for  a  pony  to 
get  foot-hold.  It  looks  like  a  little,  worn  track  which 
sheep  or  goats  might  have  made ;  you  would  never 
believe,  to  look  at  it,  that  great  bands  of  Indians  on 
ponies  used  to  travel  over  it.  One  thing  they  used  to 
come  down  for  was  to  drink  the  waters  of  some  springs 
which  bubble  up  out  of  the  rocks  at  the  mouth  of  the 


FIRST   GLIMPSES   OF   COLORADO          97 

canyon.  These  are  very  strange.  They  bubble  up  so 
fast  that  they  look  as  if  they  were  boiling :  this  is  why 
the  Frenchmen  called  the  brook  "  The  fountain  that 
boils."  But  they  are  not  any  hotter  than  the  water  in 
the  brook.  The  Indians  found  out  that  this  water  would 
cure  people  who  were  ill:  so  they  used  to  wrap  their 
sick  people  up  in  blankets,  and  bring  them  on  ponies 
over  this  little  narrow  path  through  the  pass,  and  then 
build  their  wigwams  close  to  the  springs,  and  stay  there 
for  weeks,  drinking  the  water,  and  bathing  in  it.  The 
last  part  of  the  canyon  is  not  narrow:  it  widens  out; 
and  has  little  fields  and  meadows  and  groves  in  it.  The 
road  through  it  is  lined  almost  all  the  way  with  green 
trees  and  bushes  of  different  kinds;  and  there  is  a 
beautiful  wild-hop  vine  which  grows  in  great  abun- 
dance, and  climbs  up  the  trees,  and  seems  to  be  tying 
them  all  up  in  knots  together;  the  hop  blossoms  look 
like  green  tassels  at  every  knot.  Does  not  this  sound 
like  a  lovely  place  to  live  in?  Mr.  and  Mrs.  March 
thought  so;  they  had  seen  several  pictures  of  it;  and 
a  man  who  had  lived  two  years  there  told  them  about 
it,  and  tried  to  persuade  them  to  buy  his  house  and  land. 
But  old  Deacon  Plummer  was  too  wise  to  buy  till  they 
had  tried  it. 

"  No,  no,"  he  said;  "  we'll  hire  it  for  six  months 
first,  and  see  how  it  works.  It  may  be  all  true  as  you 
say  about  the  cattle's  grazin'  well  up  and  down  them 
rocks;  but  I'd  rather  hev  medder  land  any  day.  We'll 
hire,  to  begin  with." 

So  they  had  rented  the  man's  house  and  land  for  six 
months,  and  had  bought  all  his  cows:  the  cows  were 
still  on  the  place.  Then  they  bought  a  nice  wagon,  with 
three  seats  and  a  white  top  to  it,  very  much  like  the 
butchers'  carts  you  see  going  round  with  meat  to  sell 
in  country  villages.  All  the  farmers  in  Colorado  drive 
in  such  wagons.  Then  they  had  bought  two  horses. 


98  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

The  horses  and  the  wagon  were  to  go  with  them  on  the 
cars.  I  must  tell  you  about  the  horses.  They  had  such 
queer  names!  One  was  a  dark  red,  and  he  was  called 
1 1  Fox. ' '  He  had  a  narrow  head  and  a  sharp  nose ;  and 
really  his  face  did  look  like  a  fox's  face.  The  other 
horse  was  of  a  very  queer  shade  of  reddish  yellow,  with 
a  good  deal  of  white  about  him ;  his  forefeet  were  white, 
and  his  mane  was  almost  white;  and,  if  you  will  be- 
lieve it,  his  name  was  ' '  Pumpkinseed  ' ' !  The  man 
the  Marches  bought  him  of  did  not  know  why  he  was 
called  so.  He  himself  had  only  owned  him  a  year ;  and, 
when  he  asked  the  man  he  bought  him  of  how  he  came 
to  give  the  horse  such  a  queer  name,  he  said  he  ' l  didn  't 
know.  The  old  woman  named  him;  mebbe  she  thought 
he  was  kind  o'  the  color  of  pumpkin-seed,  sort  o' 
streaked  with  yaller  'n'  white.'*  Rob  was  delighted 
with  this  name.  He  kept  singing  it  over  and  over: 
"  Pumpkinseed!  Pumpkinseed!  We've  got  a  horse 
called  Pumpkinseed!  " —  till  his  mother  begged  him 
to  stop. 

The  railroad  which  runs  southward  from  Denver  is 
the  kind  of  railroad  called  a  narrow-gauge  railroad. 
This  means  that  the  track  is  only  about  two-thirds  the 
width  of  ordinary  railroad  tracks ;  and  the  cars  and  the 
engines  are  made  small  to  match  the  track.  You  can't 
think  how  droll  a  train  of  such  little  cars  looks  when 
you  first  see  it ;  it  looks  like  a  play  train.  A  gentleman 
I  know  said  a  funny  thing  the  first  time  he  saw  a  little 
narrow-gauge  train  puffing  along  behind  its  little  en- 
gine ;  he  turned  to  his  wife :  ' '  Look  here,  wife, ' '  said  he ; 
"  let's  buy  that  and  send  it  home  to  the  children  to 
play  with. ' ' 

When  Rob  and  Nelly  first  stepped  into  the  little  car, 
they  exclaimed,  "  What  a  funny  car!  "  On  one  side 
the  car  there  were  double  seats  in  which  two  people 
could  sit;  on  the  other  side  were  single  seats,  rather 


FIRST    GLIMPSES   OF   COLORADO          99 

tight  even  for  one  person.  Nelly  and  Rob  both  ran  to 
get  two  of  these  little  seats. 

"  Hurrah!  "  said  Rob,  as  he  sat  down  in  this;  "  Pm 
going  in  a  high  chair!  Mamma,  ain't  this  just  like  a 
baby's  high  chair?  " 

"  Yes,  just  about,  Rob,"  said  Mr.  March,  who  had 
taken  his  seat  in  one,  and  found  it  too  tight  for  comfort. 

But  they  soon  ceased  to  wonder  at  the  little  seats,  for 
they  found  so  much  to  look  at  out  of  the  car  windows. 
The  journey  from  Denver  to  the  town  of  Colorado 
Springs,  where  they  were  to  leave  the  cars,  takes  four 
hours  and  a  half :  the  road  lies  all  the  way  on  the  plains, 
but  runs  near  the  lower  hills  of  the  mountain  ranges  on 
the  right;  about  half  way,  it  crosses  what  is  called  the 
"  Divide."  That  is  a  high  ridge  of  land,  with  great 
pine  groves  on  it,  and  a  beautiful  little  lake  at  the  top. 
This  is  over  eight  thousand  feet  high. 

Down  the  south  side  of  this,  the  cars  run  swiftly  by 
their  own  weight,  just  as  you  go  down  hill  on  a  sled: 
the  engine  does  not  have  to  draw  them  at  all.  In  fact, 
they  have  to  turn  the  brakes  down  some  of  the  time  to 
keep  the  cars  from  going  too  fast. 

Nelly  and  Rob  sat  sidewise  in  their  seats,  with  their 
faces  close  to  the  window,  all  the  way.  They  had  never 
seen  such  a  country.  Every  mile  new  mountain  tops 
came  in  sight,  and  new  and  wonderful  rocks.  Some  of 
the  rocks  looked  like  great  castles,  with  towers  to  them. 
More  than  once  Rob  called  out :  — 

"  There,  mamma!  that  one  is  a  castle:  I  know  it  is. 
It  can't  possibly  be  a  rock." 

And  it  was  hard  even  for  the  grown  people  to  believe 
that  they  were  merely  rocks.  Old  Deacon  and  Mrs. 
Plummer  were  almost  as  much  excited  as  Rob  and  Nelly. 
The  Deacon,  however,  was  looking  with  a  farmer's  eye 
at  the  country.  He  did  not  like  to  find  so  much  snow : 
as  far  as  he  could  see  in  all  directions,  there  was  a  thin 


100  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

coating  of  snow  over  the  ground.  The  yellow  grass 
blades  stood  up  above  it  like  little  masts  of  ships  under 
water.  Everywhere  he  looked  he  saw  cattle  walking 
about.  They  did  not  look  as  if  they  were  contented; 
and  they  were  so  thin,  you  could  see  their  bones  when 
they  came  close  to  the  cars. 

At  last  the  Deacon  said  to  Mr.  March :  — 

' '  Here 's  their  stock  runnin '  out  all  winter,  that  we  've 
heard  so  much  on;  but  it  appears  to  me,  it's  mighty 
poor-lookin'  stock.  I  don't  see  how  in  natur'  the  poor 
things  get  a  livin '  off  this  dried  grass,  half  buried  up  in 
snow. ' ' 

'  *  Ah,  sir !  ' '  spoke  up  a  man  on  the  seat  behind  Mr. 
March ;  ' '  you  do  not  know  how  much  sweeter  the  hay 
is,  dried  on  the  stalk,  standing.  There  is  no  such  hay 
in  the  world  as  the  winter  grasses  in  Colorado. ' ' 

"  Do  you  keep  stock  yourself,  sir?  "  asked  the 
Deacon. 

"  No,  I've  never  been  in  the  stock  business  myself," 
the  man  replied ;  ' '  but  I  have  lived  in  this  State  five 
years,  and  I  know  it  pretty  well;  and  it's  the  greatest 
country  for  stock  in  the  world,  sir,  —  yes,  the  greatest 
in  the  world." 

Deacon  Plummer  smiled,  but  did  not  ask  any  more 
questions.  After  this  enthusiastic  man  had  left  the  car, 
the  Deacon  said  quietly,  pointing  to  a  poor,  lean  cow 
who  was  sniffing  hungrily  at  some  little  tufts  of  yellow 
grass  near  the  railroad  track:  "I'd  rather  have  her 
opinion  than  his.  If  the  critter  could  speak,  I  guess 
she'd  say,  '  Give  me  a  manger  full  of  good  medder  hay, 
in  a  Massachusetts  barn,  in  place  of  all  this  fine  winter 
grass  of  Colorado.'  : 

Rob  and  Nelly  laughed  out  at  this  idea  of  the  cow's 
being  called  in  as  witness. 

11  I  guess  so  too,"  said  Rob;  "  don't  she  look  hungry, 
though?  " 


FIRST   GLIMPSES   OF   CC*LO$£DO      '  '%&'; 

Just  before  they  reached  the  town  of  Colorado 
Springs,  they  suddenly  saw,  a  short  distance  off,  on  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  railroad  track,  two  enormous  red 
rocks,  rising  like  broken  pieces  of  a  high  wall;  they 
looked  thin,  like  slabs.  One  of  them  was  deep  brick 
red,  and  the  other  was  a  sort  of  pink. 

11  Oh,  mamma!  look  quick,  look  quick,"  exclaimed 
Nelly :  ' '  what  can  those  red  rocks  be  ?  ' ' 

"  They  are  the  Gates  of  the  Garden  of  the  Gods," 
said  the  conductor,  who  was  passing  at  that  moment ; 
"  the  Garden  lies  just  behind  them,  and  you  drive  in 
between  those  high  rocks." 

Even  while  he  was  passing,  the  rocks  disappeared 
from  view.  Nelly  looked  at  them  with  awe-stricken 
eyes. 

"  The  Garden  of  the  Gods,  sir!  "  she  said;  "  what 
does  that  mean  ?  What  gods  ?  Do  they  worship  heathen 
gods  in  this  country  ?  ' : 

A  lady  who  was  sitting  opposite  Nelly  laughed  aloud 
at  this  question. 

' l  I  don 't  wonder  you  ask  such  a  question, ' '  she  said : 
"it  is  one  of  the  most  absurd  names  ever  given  to  a 
place,  and  I  cannot  find  out  who  gave  it.  Those  high 
rocks  that  you  saw  are  like  a  sort  of  gateway  into  a 
great  field  which  is  full  of  very  queer-shaped  rocks. 
Most  of  them  are  red,  like  the  gates ;  some  of  them  have 
uncouth  resemblances  to  animals  or  to  human  heads. 
There  is  one  that  looks  like  a  seal,  and  another  like  a 
fish  standing  on  its  tail,  and  peering  up  over  a  rock. 
There  are  a  good  many  cedar-trees  and  pines  in  this 
place,  and  in  June  a  few  flowers;  but,  for  the  most 
part,  it  is  quite  barren.  The  soil  is  of  a  red  color,  like 
the  rocks;  and  the  grass  is  very  thin,  so  that  the  red 
color  shows  through;  and  you  couldn't  find  a  place  in 
all  Colorado  that  looks  less  like  a  garden." 

"  But  why  did  they  say  l  gods  '?  "  asked  Nelly;  "  did 


J02  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

they  mean  the  old  gods?  My  papa  has  told  me  about 
them,  —  Jupiter,  and  his  wife,  Juno.  Is  this  where  they 
lived?  " 

The  lady  laughed  again.  "  I  can't  tell  you  about  that, 
dear,"  she  said.  "  I  think  they  thought  the  place  was 
so  grand  that  it  looked  as  if  it  ought  to  belong  to  some 
beings  greater  than  human  beings :  so  they  said  '  gods. ' 
I  think  myself  it  would  have  been  a  good  name  for  it 
to  call  it  the  '  Fortress  of  the  Gods,'  or  '  The  Tombs 
of  the  Giants;  '  but  not  the  '  Garden  of  the  Gods.'  I 
shouldn't  want  it  even  for  my  own  garden;  and  I'm 
only  a  commonplace  woman.  But  it  is  a  very  wonder- 
ful place  to  see.  You  will  be  sure  to  go  there,  for  all 
strangers  are  taken  to  see  it." 

11  Do  you  live  in  Colorado,  madam?  "  asked  Mrs. 
March. 

"  Oh,  yes!  "  replied  the  lady:  "  Colorado  Springs, 
the  little  town  we  are  just  coming  to,  is  my  home." 

11  Do  you  like  it?  "  asked  Mrs.  March,  anxiously. 

11  Like  it!  "  replied  the  lady;  "  like  is  not  a  strong 
enough  word.  I  love  it.  I  love  these  mountains  so  that, 
whenever  I  go  away  from  them,  I  miss  them  all  the 
time;  and  I  keep  seeing  them  before  me  all  the  while, 
just  as  you  see  the  face  of  a  dear  friend  you  are  sep- 
arated from.  I  should  be  very  ungrateful,  if  I  did  not 
love  the  place;  for  it  has  simply  made  me  over  again. 
I  came  out  here  three  years  ago  on  a  mattress,  with  my 
doctor  and  nurse,  and  thought  it  very  doubtful  if  I 
lived  to  get  here;  and  I  have  been  perfectly  well  ever 
since." 

"  Did  you  have  asthma?  "  asked  Rob,  turning  very 
red  as  soon  as  he  had  asked  the  question.  He  was  afraid 
it  was  improper.  "  My  papa  has  the  asthma." 

"  Oh,  if  that  is  your  papa's  trouble,  he  will  be  sure 
to  be  entirely  well.  Nobody  can  have  asthma  in  Colo- 
rado," replied  the  lady.  "  It  is  the  one  thing  which  is 


FIRST    GLIMPSES   OF   COLORADO         103 

always  cured  here.  My  own  trouble  was  only  a  throat 
trouble." 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  you  speak  so  confidently 
about  the  asthma, ' '  said  Mrs.  March :  ' '  my  husband 
has  been  a  great  sufferer  from  it,  and  it  is  for  that  we 
have  come." 

"  You  have  done  the  very  wisest  thing  you  could 
have  done,"  said  the  lady:  "  you  will  never  be  sorry 
for  it.  But  here  we  are ;  good  morning. ' ' 

The  train  was  already  stopping  in  front  of  a  little 
brown  wooden  building,  and  the  brakeman  called  out: 
"  Colorado  Springs." 

"  What  a  pleasant  lady!  "  said  Nelly  to  her  mother. 

'  *  Yes, ' '  said  Mrs.  March ;  ' '  but  it  was  partly  because 
she  told  us  such  good  news  for  papa. ' ' 

As  they  stepped  out  on  the  platform,  they  were  almost 
deafened  by  the  shouts  of  two  black  men,  who  were 
calling  out  the  names  of  two  hotels:  two  omnibuses 
belonging  to  the  different  hotels  were  standing  there, 
and  each  black  man  was  trying  to  get  the  most  passen- 
gers for  his  hotel.  Each  man  called  out :  — 

' '  Free  'bus  —  this  way  to  the  free  'bus  —  only  first- 
class  hotel  in  the  city. ' ' 

' '  Mercy  on  us !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  March.  ' '  Let  us 
go  to  the  one  who  speaks  the  lowest,  if  there  is  any 
difference.  They  must  think  railroad  travellers  are  all 
deaf!  It  makes  no  difference  to  which  one  we  go  just 
for  a  dinner.  We  shall  drive  home  this  afternoon. ' ' 

So  saying,  she  stepped  into  the  nearest  omnibus,  and 
the  rest  of  the  party  followed  her.  In  a  moment  more, 
the  driver  cracked  his  whip,  and  the  four  horses  set  off 
on  a  full  gallop  up  the  hill  which  lies  between  the  rail- 
way station  and  the  town.  As  they  drew  near  the  hotel 
door,  the  driver  turned  such  a  sharp  corner,  all  at  full 
speed,  that  the  omnibus  swung  round  on  the  wheels  of 
one  side,  and  pitched  so  violently  that  it  threw  both 


104  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

Nelly  and  Rob  off  their  seats  into  the  laps  of  their 
father  and  mother  who  sat  opposite. 

11  Hullo!  "  exclaimed  Rob,  picking  himself  up,  "  this 
is  the  way  the  gods  drive,  I  suppose !  ' 3 

His  mother  looked  reprovingly  at  him;  but  he  only 
laughed  and  said :  — 

"  They  call  every  thing  after  the  gods,  don't  they? 
So  I  thought  that  pitch  was  the  same  sort." 

After  dinner,  Deacon  Plummer  harnessed  Fox  and 
Pumpkinseed  into  the  new  wagon,  and  they  set  out  for 
their  new  home.  It  was  a  beautiful  afternoon ;  as  warm 
and  bright  as  a  May  day  in  New  England.  There  was 
no  snow  to  be  seen  except  on  the  mountains,  which  rose 
like  a  great  blue  wall  with  white  peaks  to  the  west  of 
the  town. 

"  Now  this  feels  something  like,"  said  the  Deacon,  as 
they  set  out;  "  this  is  like  what  they  told  us.  I  won- 
der if  it 's  been  this  way  all  winter. ' ' 

They  drove  five  miles  straight  towards  the  mountains. 
Nelly  had  taken  her  picture  of  Pike's  Peak  out  of  the 
travelling-bag,  and  held  it  in  her  hand.  Now  she  could 
look  up  from  it  to  the  real  mountain  itself,  and  see  if 
the  picture  were  true. 

"  I  don't  care  for  the  picture  any  more,  papa,"  said 
Nelly,  "  now  I've  got  the  mountain.  The  picture  isn't 
half  so  beautiful."  And  Nelly  hardly  took  her  eyes 
from  the  shining,  snowy  summit  till  they  were  so  close 
to  its  base  that  it  was  nearly  shut  out  from  their  sight 
by  the  lower  hills. 

They  drove  through  the  little  village  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Ute  Pass.  Here  they  saw  two  large  hotels,  and 
half  a  dozen  small  houses  and  shops.  This  little  village 
is  called  Manitou.  The  Indians  named  it  so.  Manitou 
means  "  Good  Spirit,"  and  they  thought  the  Good 
Spirit  had  made  the  waters  bubble  up  out  of  the  rocks 
here  to  cure  sick  people.  A  few  rods  beyond  the  last 


FIRST   GLIMPSES   OF   COLORADO         105 

house,  they  entered  the  real  pass.  Now  their  surprises 
began.  On  each  side  of  them  were  high  walls  of  rock: 
at  the  bottom  of  the  right-hand  wall  was  just  room 
enough  for  the  road ;  on  the  left  hand  they  looked  over 
a  steep  precipice  down  to  a  brook  which  was  rushing 
over  great  stones,  and  leaping  down  with  much  roar 
and  foam  from  one  basin  to  another ;  there  was  no  fence 
along  this  left-hand  side  of  the  road,  and  as  Mrs.  March 
looked  over  she  shuddered,  and  exclaimed :  — 

11  Oh,  Robert,  let  me  get  out!  I  never  can  drive  up 
this  road ;  let  us  all  walk. ' ' 

Mr.  March  himself  thought  it  was  dangerous;  so  he 
stopped  the  horses,  and  Mrs.  March  and  Mrs.  Plummer 
and  the  two  children  got  out  to  walk.  Nelly  and  Rob 
did  not  look  where  they  were  walking  •  they  were  all  the 
while  looking  up  at  the  great  rocks  over  their  heads, 
which  jutted  out  above  the  road  like  great  shelves  :  some 
rose  up  high  in  the  air  like  towers;  they  were  all  of 
a  fine  red  color,  or  else  of  a  yellowish  brown;  and  they 
were  full  of  sharp  points,  and  deep  lines  were  cut  in  them ; 
and  a  beautiful  green  lichen  grew  on  many  of  them. 
Sometimes  they  were  heaped  up  in  piles,  so  that  they 
looked  as  if  they  might  tumble  down  any  minute ;  some- 
times they  were  hollowed  out  in  places  that  looked  as 
if  they  were  made  for  niches  for  statues  to  stand  in ; 
on  one  high  hill  was  a  strange  pile,  built  up  so  solid 
and  round  it  looked  like  a  pulpit.  Mrs.  March  and 
Nelly  and  Rob  were  standing  still,  looking  at  this,  when 
a  man  who  passed  by,  seeing  they  were  strangers,  called 
out:  — 

"  That's  Tim  Bunker's  Pulpit." 

' '  Who 's  Tim  Bunker  ?  ' '  cried  Rob ;  but  the  man  was 
riding  so  fast  he  did  not  hear  him. 

"  Oh,  Nell!  if  it  isn't  too  far  we'll  climb  up  there 
some  day :  won 't  we  ?  ' '  said  Rob.  ' '  Mamma,  don 't  you 
suppose  we  're  pretty  near  our  house  ?  ' ' 


106  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

11  I  think  not,  Rob,"  replied  Mrs.  March;  "  there 
cannot  be  any  place  for  a  house  while  the  pass  is  so 
narrow. ' ' 

I  *  Oh,  mamma !  mamma !  come  here !  ' '  shouted  Nelly. 
She  had  taken  one  step  down  from  the  road,  and  was 
looking  over  into  the  brook.    "  Here  is  the  most  beau- 
tiful little  fall  you  ever  saw!  " 

They  all  climbed  carefully  down  on  the  broad  stone 
where  Nelly  was  standing,  and  looked  over.  It  was 
indeed  a  beautiful  fall:  not  very  high,  —  but  all  one 
white  foam  from  top  to  bottom ;  and  the  water  fell  into 
a  small  pool,  where  the  spray  had  frozen  into  a  great 
round  rim :  it  looked  like  frosted  silver. 

"  That's  a  pretty  silver  bowl  to  catch  the  water  in; 
ain't  it,  now?  "  said  Mrs.  Plummer.  ''I'd  like  a  drink 
of  it." 

' '  What  a  queer  country  this  is !  "  said  Mrs.  March, 
"  here  we  are  walking  without  any  outside  wraps  on, 
and  almost  too  warm  in  the  sun;  and  here  is  ice  all 
round  this  pool;  and  I  have  seen  little  thin  rims  of  ice 
here  and  there  on  the  brook  all  the  way  up." 

"  It's  just  bully,"  cried  Rob.  "  Say,  mamma,  I'm 
going  down  to  drink  out  of  that  bowl;  "  and,  before 
they  could  stop  him,  Rob  was  half  way  down  the  preci- 
pice. He  found  it  rougher  than  he  thought ;  and  he. had 
more  than  one  good  tumble  before  he  got  down  to  the 
bed  of  the  brook :  but  he  reached  it,  dipped  his  drinking- 
cup  into  the  pool,  broke  off  a  big  piece  of  the  frozen 
spray,  and  with  that  in  one  hand,  and  his  drinking-cup 
in  the  other,  began  to  climb  up  again.  This  was  twice 
as  hard  as  to  go  down,  —  it  made  Rob  puff  and  pant, 
and  he  lost  his  piece  of  ice  before  he  had  gone  many 
steps,  —  but  he  managed  to  'carry  the  water  up,  and 
very  much  they  all  enjoyed  it.  "  It's  the  sweetest  water 
I  ever  tasted,"  said  Mrs.  Plummer. 

II  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  March,  "  it  must  be,  in  good  part, 


FIRST    GLIMPSES   OF   COLORADO         107 

melted  snow  water  out  of  the  mountains :  that  is  always 
sweet.  This  is  the  brook,  no  doubt,  which  runs  past  our 
house.  You  know  they  said  it  was  close  to  the  brook. ' ' 

"  Oh,  splendid!  "  cried  Rob;  "  oh,  mamma,  isn't  this 
a  gay  country?  so  much  nicer  than  an  old  village  with 
streets  in  it,  like  Mayfield.  This  is  some  fun. ' ' 

Mrs.  March  laughed,  but  she  thought  in  her  heart : 

11  I  hope  he'll  always  find  it  fun." 

"  I  don't  think  it's  fun,  Rob,"  said  Nelly,  slowly. 

11  Why  not,  Nell?  "  exclaimed  Rob;  "  why  don't  you 
like  it?  " 

"  I  do  like  it,"  said  Nelly,  earnestly;  "  I  like  it  bet- 
ter than  any  thing  in  all  the  world;  but  I  don't  think 
it's  fun.  It's  lots  better  than  fun." 

"  Well,  what'd  you  call  it,  if  you  don't  call  it  fun?  " 
said  Rob,  in  a  vexed  tone. 

Nelly  did  not  answer. 

' '  Why  don 't  you  say  ?  ' '  cried  Rob. 

1 '  I  'm  thinking, ' '  replied  Nelly :  ' '  I  guess  there  isn  't 
any  name  for  it.  I  don't  know  any." 

Just  at  this  moment,  they  heard  the  tinkle  of  bells 
ahead,  and  in  a  second  more  loud  shouts  and  cries. 
They  walked  faster.  The  wagon  had  been  out  of  their 
sight  for  some  time.  As  they  turned  a  sharp  bend  in 
the  road  now,  they  saw  it;  and  they  saw  also  another 
wagon  brought  to  a  dead  halt  in  front  of  it.  The  wagon 
which  was  coming  down  was  loaded  high  with  packages 
of  shingles.  It  was  drawn  by  six  mules.  They  had 
bells  on  their  necks,  so  as  to  warn  people  when  they 
were  coming.  Mr.  March  and  Deacon  Plummer  had 
heard  these  bells,  but  they  had  not  known  what  they 
meant :  if  they  had,  they  would  have  drawn  off  into  one 
of  the  wider  bends  in  the  road,  and  waited.  Now  here 
the  two  wagons  were,  face  to  face,  in  one  of  the  very 
worst  places  of  the  road,  just  where  it  seemed  barely 
wide  enough  for  one  wagon  alone.  The  rock  rose  up 


108  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

straight  on  one  side,  and  the  precipice  fell  off  sharp  on 
the  other.  To  make  matters  worse,  Pumpkinseed,  who 
hated  the  very  sight  of  a  mule,  and  who  did  not  like  the 
shining  of  the  bright,  yellow  shingles,  began  to  rear  and 
to  plunge.  The  driver  of  the  mule  team  sat  still,  and 
looked  at  Mr.  March  and  the  Deacon  surlily  without 
speaking.  Mr.  March  and  the  Deacon  looked  at  him 
helplessly,  and  said :  — 

' '  What  are  we  going  to  do  now  ?  ' ! 

"  Didn't  yer  hear  me  a-coming?  "  growled  the  man. 

"  No,  sir,"  said  Mr.  March,  pleasantly:  "  we  are 
strangers  here,  and  did  not  know  what  the  bells  meant. ' ' 

At  this  the  man  jumped  down :  he  was  not  so  angry, 
when  he  found  out  that  they  were  strangers.  He  walked 
down  the  road  a  little  way,  and  looked,  and  shook  his 
head ;  then  he  walked  back  in  the  direction  he  had  come 
from ;  then  he  came  back,  and  said :  — 

"  There's  nothin'  for  it,  mister,  but  you'll  have  to 
unharness  your  team.  My  mules '11  stand;  I'll  help 
you." 

So  they  took  out  Pumpkinseed  and  Pox,  and  Mr. 
March  led  them  on  ahead.  Then  Deacon  Plummer  and 
the  mule-driver  pushed  the  wagon  backward  down  the 
road  till  they  came  to  a  place  where  there  was  a  curve 
in  the  road,  and  they  could  push  it  up  so  close  to  the 
rock  that  there  was  room  for  another  wagon  to  pass. 
There  the  mule-driver  drove  his  wagon  by ;  and  then  Mr. 
March  led  Fox  and  Pumpkinseed  down,  and  harnessed 
them  to  the  wagon  again :  all  this  time  Mrs.  March  and 
Mrs.  Plummer  and  Rob  and  Nelly  stood  on  the  edge  of 
the  precipice,  wherever  they  could  find  a  secure  place, 
and  holding  on  to  each  other.  As  the  mule  team  started 
on,  the  driver  called  back :  ' l  There 's  three  or  four  more 
behind  me:  you'd  better  keep  a  sharp  lookout,  mister." 

"  I  should  think  so,"  exclaimed  Deacon  Plummer, 
' '  this  is  the  perkiest  place  for  teams  to  pass  in  thet  ever 


FIRST    GLIMPSES   OF   COLORADO         109 

I  got  into.  I  don't  much  like  the  thought  o'  comin'  up 
and  down  here  with  all  our  teamin'." 

"  No,"  said  Mrs.  March,  "  I'll  never  drive  down 
here  as  long  as  I  live. ' ' 

"  Never 's  a  long  word,  wife,"  laughed  Mr.  March. 
"  If  we're  going  to  live  in  this  Pass,  I  don't  doubt  we 
shall  get  so  used  to  this  road,  we  sha  'n  't  think  any  thing 
about  it." 

The  road  wound  like  a  snake,  turning  first  one  way 
and  then  the  other,  and  crossing  the  brook  every  few 
minutes.  Sometimes  they  would  be  in  dark  shadow, 
when  they  were  close  to  the  left-hand  hill ;  and  then,  in 
a  minute,  they  would  come  out  again  into  full  sunlight. 

"  It's  just  like  going  right  back  again  from  after  sun- 
down to  the  middle  of  the  afternoon :  isn  't  it,  mamma  ?  ' ' 
said  Nelly.  l '  How  queer  it  feels !  ' : 

' '  Yes, ' '  said  Mrs.  March,  '  *  and  I  do  not  like  the  sun- 
down part.  I  hope  our  house  is  not  in  such  a  narrow 
part  of  the  pass  as  this." 

Presently  they  saw  a  white  house  a  little  way  ahead, 
on  the  right-hand  side  of  the  road.  A  high,  rocky  preci- 
pice rose  immediately  behind  it;  and  the  brook  seemed 
to  be  running  under  the  house,  it  was  so  close  to  it.  The 
house  was  surrounded  by  tall  pine  and  fir  trees;  and, 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road,  the  hill  was  so  steep  and 
high  that  already,  although  it  was  only  three  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  the  sun  had  gone  down  out  of  sight,  and 
the  house  was  dark  and  cold.  The  whole  party  looked 
anxiously  at  this  house. 

"  That  can't  be  it,  can  it?  "  said  Mrs.  March. 

"  Oh,  no!  "  said  Mr.  March;  "  it  isn't  in  the  least 
such  a  house  as  the  photograph  showed :  but  I  will  stop 
and  ask." 

A  man  was  chopping  wood  a  few  steps  from  the  house. 
Mr.  March  called  to  him. 

11  This  isn't  Garland's,  is  it?  " 


110  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

Instead  of  replying,  the  man  laid  down  his  axe,  and 
walked  slowly  out  to  the  road,  staring  very  hard  at  them 
all. 

11  Be  you  the  folks  that's  comin'  to  live  to  Gar- 
land's? "  he  said. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Deacon;  "  and  we  hope  this  isn't  the 
place;  if  'tis,  we  hain't  been  told  the  truth,  that's 
all." 

"  Oh,  Lor',  no,"  laughed  the  man.  "  This  ain't  Gar- 
land's; his  place's  two  mile  farther  on.  That  ain't  no 
great  shakes  of  a  place,  either,  —  Garland 's  ain  't ;  but 
he's  got  more  land'n  we  have.  There  ain't  land  enough 
here  to  raise  a  ground  mole  in.  I  'm  sick  on  't. ' ' 

"  You  don't  get  daylight  enough  here  to  raise  any 
thing,  for  that  matter,"  said  Mr.  March;  li  here  it  is 
the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  by  the  clock,  and  past  sun- 
down for  you. ' ' 

"  I  know  it,"  said  the  man;  "  but  there's  something 
in  the  air  here  which  kind  o'  makes  up  for  every  thing. 
I  don't  know  how  'tis,  but  we've  had  our  healths  first 
rate  ever  since  we've  lived  here.  But  I'm  going  to 
move  down  to  the  Springs:  it's  too  lonesome  up  here, 
and  there  ain't  nothin'  to  do.  Be  you  goin'  into 
stock?  " 

"  Not  much,"  said  Mr.  March.  "  "We  are  only  try- 
ing an  experiment  here :  we  have  bought  all  Garland 's 
cows." 

11  Have  ye?  "  said  the  man.  "  Well,  Garland  had 
some  first-rate  cattle;  but  they're  pretty  well  peaked 
out  now.  Cattle  gets  dreadful  poor  here,  along  in  March 
and  April:  ye'd  reelly  pity  'em.  But  it's  amazin'  how 
they  pick  up 's  soon 's  the  grass  comes  in  June.  It  don 't 
seem  to  hurt  'em  none  to  be  kinder  starved  all  winter. 
Come  and  see  us:  we're  neighborly  folks  out'n  this 
country.  My  wife  she'll  be  glad  to  know  there's  some 
wimmen  folks  in  the  Pass.  She's  been  the  only  woman 


FIRST    GLIMPSES   OF   COLORADO         111 

here  for  a  year.  Garland  he  bached  it:  he  hadn't  no 
wife." 

Rob  and  Nelly  had  listened  silently  with  wide-open 
eyes  and  ears  to  this  conversation;  but  at  this  last 
statement  Rob's  curiosity  got  the  better  of  him. 

' '  What  is  baching  it  ?  "  said  he,  as  they  drove  off. 

The  man  laughed. 

' '  Ask  your  father :   he  '11  tell  you, ' '  he  said. 

"  What  is  it,  papa?  "  said  Rob. 

"  I  suppose  it  is  for  a  man  to  live  all  alone,  without 
any  wife.  You  know  they  call  unmarried  men  '  old 
bachelors,'  after  they  get  to  be  thirty  or  thirty-five. 
But  I  never  heard  the  word  before." 

"  Oh!  "  said  Rob;  "  is  that  all?  I  thought  'twas  a 
trade  he  had,  —  or  something  he  sold  or  made. ' ' 

i  i  Well, ' '  said  the  Deacon ;  '  *  any  man  that  could  live 
up  here  in  this  stone  gully,  without  his  wife  along,  I 
don't  think  much  of.  It's  the  lonesomest  place,  for  an 
out-doors  place,  that  ever  I  saw." 

"  Oh,  I  think  it's  splendid!  "  said  Rob. 

"  So  do  I,"  said  Nelly.    "It's  perfectly  beautiful!  " 

"  Ain't  it  a  comfort,  Mrs.  March,"  said  Mrs.  Plum- 
mer,  "  how  children  always  do  take  to  new  places?  " 

"  We  don't  either,"  cried  Rob;  "  I  hate  some  places 
I've  seen.  But  this  is  splendid.  Just  you  look  at  those 
rocks:  you  bet  I'll  pitch  'em  down!  I'm  going  up  on 
to  every  one  of  the  highest  rocks  I  can  find." 

1 '  Oh,  Rob !  you  '11  break  your  neck, ' '  said  Mrs.  March. 
"  I  shall  not  allow  you  to  climb,  unless  your  father  is 
with  you. ' ' 

' '  Now,  mamma  ' '  —  Rob  was  beginning  when,  sud- 
denly catching  sight  of  a  house,  he  exclaimed :  — 

"  There  'tis!  That's  like  the  picture.  And  there's 
the  barn!  I  saw  it  first!  Oh,  hurry!  hurry!  "  And 
in  his  excitement  Rob  stood  up  in  the  wagon. 

Yes,  there  it  was.    It  had  looked  better  in  the  photo- 


112  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

graph  which  Mr.  Garland  had  showed  to  Mr.  March 
than  it  did  in  reality.  It  was  a  small,  unpainted  pine 
house ;  without  any  piazza  or  blinds.  The  windows 
were  small;  the  front  door  was  very  small;  there  was 
no  fence  between  it  and  the  road;  and  all  the  ground 
around  it  had  been  left  wild.  It  was  really  a  desolate- 
looking  place. 

' '  "Why,  there  isn  't  any  yard !  ' '  exclaimed  Nelly. 

' '  Yard !  ' '  said  her  mother ;  ' l  why,  it  is  all  yard, 
child.  As  far  as  you  can  see  in  every  direction,  it  is  all 
our  yard. ' ' 

Mrs.  March's  heart  had  really  sunk  within  her  at  the 
sight  of  the  place.  The  house  was  nothing  more  than 
she  would  have  called  a  shanty  at  home;  but  she  was 
resolved,  no  matter  what  happened  to  them,  never  to 
let  her  husband  see  that  she  found  any  thing  hard.  So 
she  spoke  cheerfully  about  the  yard;  and,  as  they  were 
getting  out  of  the  wagon,  she  said :  — 

"  How  nice  and  open  it  is  here!  See,  Robert,  the 
sun  is  still  an  hour  high,  I  should  think.  This  is  a 
lovely  place." 

Mr.  March  shook  his  head.  He  did  not  like  the  ap- 
pearance of  things.  Mrs.  Plummer  had  bustled  ahead 
into  the  house.  In  a  moment  she  came  back,  followed 
by  a  man.  This  was  the  man  who  had  been  left  by 
Mr.  Garland  in  charge  of  the  house,  and  who  was  to 
stay  and  work  for  Mr.  March. 

"  Bless  my  eyes!  "  he  exclaimed;  "  you've  took  me 
by  surprise.  I  hain't  had  no  letter  from  Garland.  He 
said  he'd  write  and  let  me  know  when  you'd  be  up. 
I  calculated  to  have  spruced  up  considerable  before  you 
come  in.  We've  bached  it  here  so  long  'tain't  much 
of  a  place  for  wimmen  folks  to  come  to. ' ' 

' i  Oh,  never  mind !  ' '  said  Mrs.  March ;  ' '  Mr. ' '  —  she 
hesitated  for  a  name:  "  I  don't  think  I've  heard  your 


FIRST    GLIMPSES   OF   COLORADO         113 

11  Zeb,  ma'am;  Zeb's  my  name.  Don't  go  by  any 
other  name  since  I've  been  in  these  mountains,"  said 
the  man,  pulling  off  his  old  woollen  cap,  and  making 
an  awkward  bow  to  Mrs.  March,  whose  pleasant  smile 
and  voice  had  won  his  liking  at  once. 

"  Never  mind,  then,  Zeb,"  Mrs.  March  continued: 
"  we  have  not  come  expecting  to  find  things  as  we  had 
them  at  home.  We  shall  call  it  a  picnic  all  the  time." 

"  Well,  that's  about  what  it  is,  mum,  most  generally 
in  this  country's  fur's  I've  seen  it,"  said  Zeb,  thinking 
at  that  moment,  with  a  dreadful  misgiving,  that  he  had 
no  meat  in  the  house,  except  salt  pork;  and  no  bread 
at  all.  He  had  intended  to  make  some  soda  biscuit  for 
his  own  supper.  "  But  she  looks  like  jest  one  o'  them 
kind  that  can't  abide  soda,"  thought  poor  Zeb  to  him- 
self. "  An'  where  in  thunder  be  they  all  to  sleep?  " 
he  continued;  "  Garland  might  ha'  known  better  than 
to  let  six  folks  come  down  on  me,  this  way,  without  any 
warnin'.  'Twas  mighty  unconsiderate  of  him!  How- 
ever, 'tain't  none  o'  my  business.  I  don't  keep  no 
hotel." 

While  Zeb  was  pursuing  this  uncomfortable  train  of 
thought,  he  was  helping  Deacon  Plummer  and  Mr. 
March  unharness  the  horses ;  he  seemed  silent,  and,  Mr. 
March  thought,  surly;  but  it  was  in  reality  only  his 
distress  at  not  being  able  to  make  the  family  more  com- 
fortable. Finally  he  spoke. 

"  Did  Garland  tell  you  he'd  written?  " 

"  Oh,  yes!  "  said  Mr.  March;  "  he  said  he'd  written, 
and  you  would  be  looking  out  for  us." 

"  Well,  perhaps  he  wrote,  and  perhaps  he  didn't.  It's 
as  likely  as  not  he  didn't.  At  any  rate,  if  he  did,  the 
letter's  down  in  that  Manitou  post-office.  I  hain't  never 
seen  it:  an'  I  may  as  well  tell  you  first  as  last,  that 
I  ain't  no  ways  ready  for  ye.  There  ain't  but  two  beds 
in  the  whole  house.  I  was  a  calculatin'  to  bring  up 


114  NELLY' 8   SILVER   MINE 

one  more  from  the  Springs  next  week;  an'  I  hain't 
got  much  in  the  way  of  provisions,  either,  except  for 
the  hosses.  There's  plenty  of  oats,  an'  that's  about  all 
there  is  plenty  of. ' ' 

Deacon  Plummer  and  Mr.  March  were  standing  in 
the  barn  door:  the  Deacon  thrust  his  hands  deep  down 
in  his  pockets  and  whistled.  Mr*.  March  looked  at  Zeb's 
face.  The  more  he  studied  it,  the  better  he  liked  it. 

"  Zeb,"  said  he,  ll  we  can  stay,  somehow,  can't  we? 
We  men  can  sleep  on  the  hay  for  a  few  nights,  if  the 
sleeping 's  all.  What  have  you  really  got  in  the  way 
of  food  ?  That 's  the  main  thing. ' ' 

It  pleased  Zeb  to  have  Mr.  March  say  "  we  men." 
' '  I  guess  he 's  got  some  stuff  in  him,  if  he  is  a  parson, ' ' 
thought  Zeb;  and  his  face  brightened  as  he  replied: 

"  Well,  if  you  can  sleep  on  the  hay,  it's  all  right 
about  the  sleepin';  but  I  didn't  reckon  you  could.  But 
that's  only  part  o'  the  trouble.  However,  I  can  jump 
on  to  a  hoss  and  ride  down  to  Manitou  and  pick  up 
suthin',  if  the  wimmen  folks  think  they  can  get  along." 

'  *  Get  along !  of  course  we  can  get  along !  ' '  exclaimed 
Mrs.  March,  who  had  just  come  out  in  search  of  her 
husband.  "  There  is  an  iron  pot  and  a  tea-kettle  and 
a  frying-pan  and  a  barrel  of  flour  and  a  firkin  of  Gra- 
ham meal;  what  more  do  we  want?  "  and  she  laughed 
merrily. 

"  Hens,  mamma,  hens !  There  are  lots  of  hens  here !  >J 
shouted  Rob,  coming  up  at  full  speed;  "  and  see  this 
splendid  shepherd  dog!  He  knows  me  already!  See! 
he  follows  me !  "  and  Rob  held  his  hand  high  up  in  the 
air  to  a  beautiful  black  and  white  shepherd  dog  who 
was  running  close  behind  him. 

"  Yes;  Watch,  he's  real  friendly  with  everybody," 
said  Zeb.  l '  He 's  lots  o '  company,  Watch  is.  He  knows 
more 'n  most  folks.  Here,  Watch!  give  us  your  paw?  " 

The  dog  lifted  one  paw  and  held  it  out. 


FIRST    GLIMPSE 8   OF   COLORADO         115 

* '  No,  not  that  one  —  the  white  one !  ' '  said  Zeb. 

Watch  dropped  the  black  paw  and  held  up  the  white 
one  instantly. 

"  He'll  do  that  just's  of  ten's  you'll  ask  him,"  said 
Zeb ;  * '  an '  it 's  a  mighty  queer  thing  for  a  dog  to  know 
black  from  white. ' ' 

"Oh!  let  me  try  him?  "  said  Rob.  "  Here,  Watch! 
Watch !  J:  Watch  ran  to  Rob  at  once. 

11  He  does  take  to  you,  that's  a  fact,"  said  Zeb. 

"  Give  your  paw,  Watch,  —  your  white  paw,"  said 
Rob. 

Watch  put  his  white  paw  in  Rob's  hand. 

"  Now  your  black  paw,"  said  Rob. 

Watch  put  down  his  white  paw  and  lifted  the  other. 

"  White,  black!  — white,  black!  "  said  Rob,  as  fast 
as  he  could  pronounce  the  words;  and,  just  as  fast  as 
he  said  them,  the  dog  held  up  his  paws. 

At  this  moment,  Nelly  appeared,  her  cheeks  very  red, 
carrying  a  little  yellow  and  white  puppy  in  her  arms. 

"Oh!  see  this  dear  little  puppy!  "  she  said;  "  doesn't 
he  just  match  Pumpkinseed?  " 

"  We  might  call  him  Pumpkin  Blossom,"  said  Mrs. 
March. 

"  His  name's  Trotter,"  said  Zeb.  "  He's  jest  got  it 
learned:  I  guess  you  can't  change  it  very  easy.  Put 
him  down,  miss,  and  I'll  show  you  what  he  can  do. 
I  hain  't  taught  him  much  yet ;  he 's  such  a  pup :  but 
there 's  nothin '  he  can 't  learn.  Trotter,  roll  over !  ' : 

The  puppy  lay  down  instantly  and  rolled  over  and 
over.  "  Faster!  "  said  Zeb. 

Trotter  rolled  faster.  l  i  Faster !  faster !  fast  as  you 
can!  "  cried  Zeb;  and  Trotter  rolled  so  fast  that  you 
could  hardly  see  his  legs  or  his  tail;  he  looked  like  a 
round  ball  of  yellow  hair,  with  two  bright  eyes  in  it. 

Nelly  and  Rob  shouted  with  laughter,  and  even  Mr. 
March  and  Deacon  Plummer  laughed  hard.  They  had 


116  NELLY'S    SILVER    MINE 

been  so  busy  that  they  had  not  observed  that  it  was 
growing  dark.  Suddenly  Zeb  looked  up,  and  said:- 

"  Ye  'd  better  run  in :  it 's  going  to  be  a  snow  flurry. ' ' 

"  A  snow  flurry!  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  March,  looking 
up  at  the  bright  blue  sky  overhead.  "  Where's  the 
snow  to  come  from?  ': 

"  Out  o'  that  cloud,  mum,"  replied  Zeb,  pointing  to 
a  black  cloud  just  coming  up  over  the  top  of  the  hill  to 
the  west.  "  'T'll  be  here  in  less  than  five  minutes; 
mebbe  't  '11  be  hail :  reckon  't  will. ' ' 

Sure  enough,  in  less  than  five  minutes  the  cloud  had 
spread  over  their  heads,  and  the  hail  began  to  fall. 
They  all  stood  at  the  windows  and  watched  it.  Rattle, 
rattle,  it  came  on  the  roof  and  against  the  west  windows, 
and  the  hailstones  bounded  off  from  every  place  they 
hit,  and  rolled  about  on  the  ground  like  marbles.  At 
first  they  were  very  small :  not  bigger  than  pins '  heads ; 
but  larger  and  larger  ones  came  every  minute,  until 
they  were  as  big  as  large  plums.  Rob  and  Nelly  had 
never  seen  such  hailstones;  they  were  half  frightened, 
and  yet  the  sight  was  so  beautiful  to  watch,  that  they 
enjoyed  it.  The  storm  did  not  last  more  than  ten  min- 
utes; the  hailstones  grew  smaller  again,  just  as  they 
had  grown  larger;  and  then  they  came  slower  and 
slower,  till  they  stopped  altogether,  and  the  great  black 
cloud  rolled  off  toward  the  south,  and  left  the  sky  clear 
Blue  above  their  heads,  just  as  it  was  before ;  and  the 
sun  shone  out,  and  every  thing  glistened  like  silver  from 
the  boughs  of  the  trees  down  to  the  blades  of  grass. 
The  great  hailstones  were  piled  up  in  all  the  hollow 
places  of  the  ground,  but  the  hot  sun  shining  on  them 
began  to  melt  them  immediately;  and,  except  where 
they  were  in  the  shadow  of  rocks  or  trees  or  piles  of 
boards,  they  did  not  last  long.  Nelly  picked  up  a  tin 
pan  and  ran  out  and  filled  it  in  a  minute:  then  she 
passed  them  round  to  everybody,  saying:  "  Won't  you 


FIRST    GLIMPSES   OF   COLORADO        117 

have  some  sugared  almonds?  "  and  they  all  ate  them 
and  pretended  they  were  candy;  and  Rob  and  Nelly 
rolled  them  away  from  the  doorstep  and  made  Trotter 
run  after  them.  In  less  than  ten  minutes  after  the 
storm  had  passed,  it  was  so  warm  that  they  were  all 
standing  in  the  open  doorway,  or  walking  about  out  of 
doors. 

"  Upon  my  word,  what  a  country  this  is!  "  said  Mr. 
March.  "  Ten  minutes  ago  it  was  winter;  now  it  is 
spring. ' ' 

"Yes,"  said  Zeb.  "That's  jest  the  way  'tis  all 
through  the  winter;  but  next  month  ye '11  get  some 
winter  in  good  airnest.  April  'n'  May's  our  winter 
months.  I've  seen  the  snow  a  foot  'n'  a  half  deep  in 
this  Pass  in  May. ' ' 

* '  What !  ' '  exclaimed  Mr.  March,  now  really  excited. 
"  A  foot  and  a  half  of  snow!  What  becomes  of  the 
cattle  then?  " 

"  Oh !  "  said  Zeb, ' '  it  never  lays  long :  not  over  a  day 
or  two.  This  sun '11  melt  snow's  quick's  a  fire '11  melt 
grease,  'n  quicker." 

' '  Then  I  suppose  it  is  very  muddy, ' '  said  Mrs.  March. 

"  No,  mum,  never  no  mud  to  speak  of;  sometimes  a 
little  stretch  of  what  they  call  adobe  land '11  be  putty 
muddy  for  a  week  or  so ;  but 's  a  general  thing  the  roads 
are  dry  in  a  day;  in  fact,  you'll  often  see  the  ground 
white  with  a  little  sprinkle  of  snow  at  eight  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  and  by  twelve  you'll  see  the  roads  dry, 
except  along  the  edges:  the  snow  jest  kind  o'  goes  off 
in  the  air  here ;  it  don 't  seem 's  if  it  melted  into  water 
at  all." 

"  Well,  I'll  give  it  up!  "  said  the  Deacon;  "  near's 
I  can  make  out,  this  country's  a  conundrum." 

Mrs.  March  and  Mrs.  Plummer  now  set  themselves 
to  work  in  good  earnest  to  put  the  little  house  in  order. 
They  had  brought  with  them  only  what  they  could  carry 


118  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

in  valises  and  hand-bags:  all  their  boxes  and  trunks 
were  to  come  in  a  big  wagon  the  next  day;  so  there 
was  not  much  unpacking  to  be  done.  The  house  had 
only  five  rooms  in  it :  one  large  room,  which  was  to  be 
used  as  the  kitchen  and  dining-room  and  living-room; 
three  small  rooms  which  were  for  bedrooms;  and  an- 
other room  which  had  been  used  as  a  lumber-room.  As 
soon  as  Mrs.  March  looked  into  this  room,  she  resolved 
to  make  it  into  a  little  sitting-room  by  and  by.  It  had 
one  window  to  the  east,  which  looked  out  on  the  brook, 
and  one  to  the  south,  which  had  a  most  beautiful  view 
down  the  Pass.  These  rooms  had  no  plaster  on  the 
walls,  and  the  boards  were  very  rough ;  but  the  Colorado 
pine  is  such  a  lovely  shade  of  yellow  that  rooms  built  of 
bare  boards  are  really  prettier  than  most  of  the  rooms 
you  see  which  have  paper  on  them. 

Poor  Mrs.  Plummer  thought  these  bare  boards  were 
dreadful.  She  worked  on,  industriously,  helping  Mrs. 
March  do  all  she  could;  but  every  few  minutes  she 
would  give  a  great  sigh,  and  look  up  at  the  walls,  or 
down  at  the  floor,  and  say :  — 

"  Well,  Mrs.  March!  I  never  did  expect  to  see  you 
come  to  this." 

Mr.  March  also  wore  rather  a  long  face  as  he  stood 
in  the  doorway  and  watched  his  wife. 

"  Oh,  Sarah!  "  he  said,  at  last,  "  I  can't  bear  to  have 
you  work  like  this.  I  didn't  realize  it  was  going  to  be 
just  such  a  place.  I  shall  go  to  the  Springs  to-morrow 
and  get  a  servant  for  you. ' ' 

"  You  won't  do  any  such  thing,  Robert,"  said  Mrs. 
March.  ' '  There 's  no  room  for  a  servant  to  sleep  in ; 
and  I  don't  want  one,  any  way.  Mrs.  Plummer  will 
give  me  all  the  help  I  need;  and  Rob  and  Nelly  will 
help  too.  Look  at  Rob  now!  "  At  that  minute,  Rob 
came  puffing  and  panting  in  at  the  door,  with  his  arms 
full  of  crooked  sticks,  stems  of  vines,  and  all  sorts  of 


Sure  enough,  there  was  a  nice  fresh  spring  bubbling  up  out  of 
the  ground.  Pity*  no 


FIRST    GLIMPSES   OF   COLORADO         119 

odds  and  ends  of  drift-wood,  which  he  had  picked  up 
on  the  edge  of  the  brook. 

il  Here's  kindling  wood,  mamma;  lots  of  it.  Zeb 
told  me  where  to  get  it.  There's  lots  and  lots  all  along 
the  brook."  And  he  threw  down  his  armful  on  the 
hearth,  and  was  going  back  for  more. 

' '  Dear  boy !  here  is  enough,  and  more  than  enough, ' ' 
said  Mrs.  March.  ' '  You  can  bring  me  some  water  next ; 
we  dip  it  out  of  the  brook,  I  suppose." 

"  Now,  mamma,  that's  just  all  you  know  about  it," 
replied  Rob,  with  a  most  exultant  air  of  superiority; 
"  there's  just  the  nicest  spring,  right  across  the  brook, 
only  a  little  bit  of  ways.  Zeb  showed  me;  you  come 
and  see,  —  there 's  a  bridge. ' ' 

Mrs.  March  followed  him.  Sure  enough,  there  was 
a  nice,  fresh  spring,  bubbling  up  out  of  the  ground, 
among  the  bushes;  it  was  walled  around  with  boards  a 
few  feet  high,  so  that  the  cattle  should  not  trample  too 
close  to  it ;  a  narrow  plank  was  laid  across  the  brook 
just  opposite  it;  and  it  was  not  twenty  steps  from  the 
house. 

lt  See,  mamma,"  said  Rob,  as  he  dipped  in  the  pail, 
and  drew  it  out  dripping  full,  "  see  how  nice  this  is.  I 
can  bring  you  all  the  water  you  want." 

' '  Take  care !  take  care,  Rob !  ' '  shouted  his  father,  as 
Rob  stepped  back  on  the  plank.  He  was  too  late.  Rob 
in  his  excitement  had  stepped  a  little  to  one  side  of  the 
middle  of  the  plank:  it  tipped;  he  lost  his  balance, 
and  over  he  went,  pail  of  water  and  all,  into  the  brook. 
The  brook  was  not  deep,  and  he  scrambled  out  again 
in  less  than  a  minute,  —  much  mortified  and  very  wet. 
Mrs.  March  could  not  help  laughing. 

"  "Well,  you  helped  fill  the  brook  instead  of  my  pail; 
didn't  you?  "  she  said. 

"  But,  mamma,  I  haven't  got  any  dry  clothes,"  said 
poor  Rob:  "  what '11  I  do? 


?  ? 


120  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

"That's  a  fact,  Rob,"  said  his  mother.  "You'll 
have  to  go  to  bed  while  these  dry. ' ' 

"  Oh,  dear!  "  said  Rob;  "  that's  too  bad!  "  And  he 
walked  very  disconsolately  toward  the  house.  Zeb  was 
just  riding  off,  with  two  empty  sacks  hanging  from  his 
saddle  pommel. 

"  Zeb,"  called  Rob;  "  I  tumbled  in  the  brook;  and 
I  Ve  got  to  go  to  bed  till  my  clothes  are  dry. ' ' 

"  Don't  ye  do  no  such  a  thing,"  cried  Zeb ;  "  you  jest 
walk  round  a  leetle  lively,  and  your  clothes '11  be  dry 
afore  ye  know  it.  Water  don't  wet  ye  much  in  this 
country. ' ' 

"  Come,  now,  Zeb,"  said  the  Deacon,  "  let's  draw  a 
line  somewhere !  That 's  a  little  too  big  a  story.  I  can 
believe  ye  about  the  snow's  not  making  mud,  because 
I've  seen  these  hail-stones  just  melt  away  into  nothin' 
in  half  an  hour;  but  when  it  comes  to  water's  not  wet- 
tin  ',  I  can't  go  that." 

"  Well,  you  just  feel  of  me  now!  "  shouted  Rob; 
"I'm  half  dry  already!  " 

The  Deacon  and  Mrs.  March  both  felt  Rob's  arms 
and  shoulders. 

"  Ton  my  word,  they  ain't  so  very  wet,"  said  the 
Deacon ;  ' '  was  it  only  just  now  you  tumbled  in  ?  " 

"  Not  five  minutes  ago,"  said  Mrs.  March. 

"  It  is  certainly  the  queerest  thing  I  ever  saw,"  she 
continued,  feeling  Rob  from  his  shoulders  to  his  ankles : 
"he  is  really,  as  he  says,  half  dry.  I'll  try  Zeb's  ad- 
vice. Rob,  you  run  up  and  down  the  road  as  hard 
as  you  can  for  ten  minutes;  don't  you  stand  still 
at  all." 

Rob  raced  away,  with  Watch  at  his  heels,  and  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  March  walked  into  the  house,  Mr.  March  carry- 
ing the  pail  filled  once  more  with  the  nice  spring  water. 
In  a  few  minutes,  as  they  were  all  busily  at  work,  they 
heard  a  sound  at  the  door :  they  looked  up ;  there  stood 


FIRST    GLIMPSES   OF   COLORADO         121 

a  white  cow,  looking  in  on  them  with  a  mild  expression 
of  surprise. 

"  Oh!  "  said  Mr.  March,  "  Zeb  said  the  cows'd  be 
coming  home  pretty  soon.  The  Deacon  and  I'll  have 
to  milk." 

"  Yes,  they're  a  comin',"  called  out  the  Deacon, 
peering  over  the  back  of  the  white  cow,  and  pushing 
her  gently  to  one  side,  so  that  he  could  enter  the  door; 
"  they're  a  comin'  down  the  road,  and  down  the  hill  up 
there  back  o'  the  saw-mill:  I  jest  wish  ye'd  come  and 
look  at  'em.  Don't  know  as  ye'd  better,  either,  if  ye 
want  to  have  a  good  appetite  for  your  supper !  If  ever 
ye  see  Pharaoh's  lean  kine,  ye '11  see  'em  now." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  and  Mrs.  Plummer  all  ran  out 
and  stood  in  front  of  the  house,  looking  up  the  road. 
There  came  the  cows,  one,  two,  three,  all  in  single  file, 
down  the  hill,  now  and  then  stopping  to  take  a  nibble 
by  the  way;  in  the  road  there  were  half  a  dozen  more, 
walking  straight  on,  neither  turning  to  the  right  nor  the 
left. 

"  That's  right,  ye  poor  things:  make  for  the  barn; 
I  would  if  I  was  you.  Perhaps  I  won't  feed  you  a  good 
feed  o'  hay  'n'  corn-meal  to-night,  sure's  my  name's 
Plummer!  "  The  cows  were  indeed  lean:  you  could 
count  every  rib  on  their  bodies,  and  their  hip  bones 
stuck  out  like  great  ploughshares. 

' '  What  a  shame !  ' '  exclaimed  Mrs.  March.  ' l  Hus- 
band, you  were  imposed  upon.  These  cows  are  not 
worth  any  thing." 

' '  Oh,  yes  they  be ;  they  're  first-rate  stock, ' '  said  the 
Deacon ;  ' '  first-rate  stock,  only  they  're  so  run  down. 
Ye '11  see  I'll  have  'em  so  fat  in  four  weeks  ye  won't 
know  'em." 

The  cows  gathered  together  in  a  little  group  between 
the  two  barns,  and  looked  very  hard  at  these  strangers 
they  had  never  seen  before.  They  knew  very  well  that 


122  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

something  had  happened,  —  they  missed  Zeb,  —  and 
began  to  low  uneasily ;  but  when  Deacon  Plummer  came 
out  of  the  barn  with  a  big  pitchfork  full  of  hay, 
and  threw  it  down  before  them,  all  their  anxieties 
were  allayed.  These  were  good  friends  who  had  come: 
there  was  no  doubt  of  that.  Nine  times  the  Deacon 
brought  out  his  pitchfork  full  of  hay,  and  threw  it  on 
the  ground,  one  for  each  cow:  and  didn't  they  fall  to 
and  eat! 

"  II  'm !  "  said  the  Deacon,  as  he  watched  them.  ' '  If 
this  is  the  result  of  your  fine  winter  grazin',  I  don't 
want  any  thing  to  do  with  it.  It's  just  slow  starvation 
to  my  way  o '  thinking.  Look  at  them  udders !  There 
ain't  a  quart  apiece  in  'em.  Our  milkin'  '11  be  soon 
over,  Parson." 

"  The  sooner  the  better  for  me,  Deacon,"  laughed 
Mr.  March.  '  *  I  never  did  like  to  milk. ' ' 

' '  Oh !  let  me  milk !  let  me  milk,  papa !  please  do !  ' ; 
cried  Rob,  who  had  returned  from  his -ten  minutes'  run 
on  the  road,  as  dry  as  ever. 

:  *  And  me,  too !  me  too !  ' '  said  Nelly,  who  was  close 
behind. 

"  Not  to-night,  children.  It  is  late,  and  we  are  in 
a  hurry,"  said  Mr.  March.  Just  as  he  spoke,  the  sun 
sank  behind  the  hill.  Almost  instantly,  a  chill  fell  on 
the  air. 

"  Bless  me,"  said  Mr.  March,  "  here  we  have  winter 
again.  Run  in,  children ;  it  is  growing  too  cold  for  you 
to  be  out.  What  a  climate  this  is,  to  be  sure !  one  can 't 
keep  up  with  it." 

While  Deacon  Plummer  and  Mr.  March  were  milk- 
ing, they  talked  over  their  prospects.  They  were  forced 
to  acknowledge  that  there  was  small  chance  of  making 
a  living  on  this  farm. 

"  We're  took  in:  that's  all  there  is  on  V  said  the 
Deacon,  cheerily ;  ' '  but  I  reckon  we  can  grub  along  for 


FIRST    GLIMPSE 8   OF   COLORADO         123 

six  months;  we  can  live  that  long  even  if  we  don't 
make  a  cent;  and  now  we're  here,  we  can  look  about 
for  ourselves,  and  see  what  we  're  gettin '  before  we  make 
another  move. ' ' 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  March.  "  That's  the  only  way  to 
do.  I  confess  I  am  disappointed.  Mr.  Garland  seemed 
such  a  fair  man. ' ' 

The  Deacon  laughed.  "  Ye  don't  know  human  na- 
ture, Parson,  the  way  we  men  do  that's  knockin'  round 
all  the  time  among  folks.  Ye  see  folks  always  comes 
to  you  when  they're  in  trouble,  or  else  when  they're 
joyful,  —  bein'  married,  or  a  baptizin'  their  babies,— 
or  somethin'  o'  rather  that's  out  o'  the  common  line; 
so  you  don't  never  see  'em  jest  exactly 's  they  are.  Now 
I  kinder  mistrusted  that  Garland  from  the  fust.  He  was 
too  anxious  to  sell,  to  suit  me.  When  a  man 's  got  a  first- 
rate  berth,  he  ain  't  generally  so  ready  to  quit. ' ' 

When  the  milkers  went  in  with  their  pails  of  milk, 
they  found  a  blazing  fire  on  the  hearth,  and  supper  set 
out  on  a  red  pine  table  without  any  table-cloth.  -Mrs. 
March  had  made  Graham  biscuit  and  white  biscuit,  and 
had  baked  some  apples  which  she  had  left  in  her  lunch- 
basket.  When  she  saw  the  milk,  she  exclaimed :  — 

1  Now,  if  this  isn  't  a  supper  fit  for  a  king !  —  bread 
and  milk  and  baked  apples !  ' : 

"  Ain't  there  any  butter?  "  called  out  Rob. 

"  Yes,  there  is  some  butter;  but  I  doubt  if  you  will 
eat  it,"  said  Mrs.  March.  tl  Zeb  is  going  to  buy  some 
better  butter  at  Manitou." 

Rob  put  some  of  the  butter  on  his  bread,  and  put  a 
mouthful  of  the  bread  in  his  mouth.  In  less  than  a 
second,  he  had  clapped  his  hand  over  his  mouth  with  an 
expression  of  horror. 

u  Oh!  what '11  I  do,  mamma?  it's  worse  than  medi- 
cine !  "  he  cried ;  and  swallowed  the  whole  mouthful  at 
one  gulp.  "  That  can't  be  butter,  mamma,"  he  said. 


124  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

11  You've  made  a  mistake.  It'll  poison  us:  it's  some- 
thing else." 

"  Little  you  know  about  bad  butter,  don't  you,  Rob  ?  " 
said  Deacon  Plummer,  calmly  buttering  his  biscuit,  and 
eating  it.  li  I've  eaten  much  worse  butter  than  this." 

Rob's  eyes  grew  big.  "  What'd  you  eat  it  for?  "  he 
said,  earnestly. 

"  Sure  enough,"  said  Mrs.  Plummer.  "  That's  what 
I've  always  said  about  butter.  If  there's  any  thing 
else  set  before  folks  that's  bad,  why  they  just  leave  it 
alone.  There  isn't  any  need  ever  of  eating  what  you 
don't  like.  But  when  it  comes  to  butter,  folks  seem  to 
think  they've  got  to  eat  it,  good,  bad,  or  indifferent." 

"  That's  so,"  said  the  Deacon;  "  and  if  I've  heard 
you  say  so  once,  Elizy,  I  've  heard  you  say  it  a  thousand 
times;  I  don't  know  how  'tis,  but  it  does  seem  as  if 
you  had  to  have  somethin'  in  shape  o'  butter,  if  it's 
ever  so  bad,  to  make  a  meal  go  down. ' ' 

"  I  don't  see  how  bad  butter  helps  to  make  a  meal  go 
down,"  said  Rob.  "  It  like  to  have  made  mine  come 
up  just  now. ' ' 

' '  Rob !  Rob  !  ' '  said  his  mother,  reprovingly ;  ' '  you 
forget  that  we  are  at  supper. ' ' 

"  Excuse  me,  mamma,"  said  Rob,  penitently;  "  but 
it  was  true." 


CHAPTER   VI 
LIFE  AT  GARLAND'S 

THIS  was  the  first  night  of  the  Marches  and  Plum- 
mers  in  their  strange  new  home  in  Colorado. 
When  they  waked  up  the  next  morning,  Mr.  March  and 
Deacon  Plummer  rolled  up  in  buffalo  robes  on  the  hay 
in  the  barn,  Mrs.  March  and  Nelly  in  one  bed  in  one 
little  bedroom,  Mrs.  Plummer  in  another  opening  out  of 
it,  and  Rob  on  an  old  black  leather  sofa  in  the  kitchen, 
they  could  hardly  believe  their  eyes  as  they  looked 
around  them.  They  all  got  up  very  early,  and  now 
their  new  life  had  begun  in  good  earnest.  Immediately 
after  breakfast,  Mr.  March  drove  away  in  the  big  wagon 
with  Fox  and  Pumpkinseed.  He  would  not  tell  his  wife 
where  he  was  going,  nor  take  any  one  with  him.  The 
truth  was,  that  in  the  night  Mr.  March  had  taken  two 
resolutions :  one  was  that  he  would  get  a  servant  for 
Mrs.  March;  the  other  was  that  he  would  buy  furni- 
ture enough  to  make  the  house  pleasant  and  comfort- 
able, and  china  enough  to  make  their  table  look  a  little 
like  their  old  home  table.  But  he  knew  if  he  told  Mrs. 
March  what  he  meant  to  do,  she  would  think  they  ought 
not  to  spend  the  money.  All  their  own  pretty  china 
which  they  had  used  at  home,  she  had  packed  up  and 
left  behind  them,  saying:  "  We  shall  not  want  any 
thing  of  that  kind  in  Colorado."  Mrs.  March  did  not 
care  about  such  things  half  so  much  as  Mr.  March  and 
Nelly  did;  that  is,  she  could  do  without  them  more 


126  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

easily.  She  liked  pretty  things  very  much,  but  she  could 
do  without  them  very  well  if  it  were  necessary.  She 
watched  Mr.  March  driving  off  down  the  road  this  morn- 
ing with  an  uneasy  feeling. 

11  I  don't  know  what  Mr.  March's  got  in  his  head," 
she  said  to  Mrs.  Plummer;  "  but  I  think  he  is  going 
to  do  something  rash.  He  looks  as  children  do  when 
they  are  in  some  secret  mischief." 

' t  Why,  what  could  it  be  ?  "  said  good  Mrs.  Plummer. 
' '  I  don 't  see  what  there  is  for  him  to  do. ' ' 

"  Well,  we  shall  see,"  said  Mrs.  March.  "  I  wish 
I'd  made  him  take  me  along." 

' '  Made  him !  ' '  exclaimed  Mrs.  Plummer.  *  *  Can  you 
make  him  do  any  thing  he's  sot  not  to?  I  hain't  never 
been  able  to  do  that  with  Mr.  Plummer,  not  once  in 
all  the  thirty  years  I've  lived  with  him.  It's  always 
seemed  to  me  that  men  was  the  obstinatest  critters  made, 
even  the  best  on  'em;  an'  I'm  sure  Mr.  Plummer 's  as 
good  a  man 's  ever  was  born ;  but  I  don 't  no  more  think 
o'  movin'  him  if  his  mind's  made  up,  than  I  should 
think  o '  movin '  that  rock  up  there, ' '  pointing  to  a  huge 
rock  which  was  at  the  top  of  one  of  the  hills  to  the 
southwest  of  the  house. 

The  day  flew  by  quickly  in  putting  their  new  home 
in  order.  Both  Mrs.  March  and  Mrs.  Plummer  worked 
very  hard,  and  Rob  and  Nelly  helped  them.  They  swept 
and  washed  floors ;  they  washed  windows ;  they  washed 
even  the  chairs  and  tables,  —  which  sadly  needed  it, 
it  must  be  owned.  Rob  and  Nelly  enjoyed  it  all  as  a 
frolic. 

' '  This  is  like  last  Christmas,  when  Sarah  was  drunk : 
isn  't  it,  mamma  ?  ' '  said  Rob.  "  It 's  real  fun. ' ' 

11  Don't  you  wish  Sarah  was  here  to  help  you, 
mamma?  "  said  Nelly. 

' '  No,  dear, ' '  replied  Mrs.  March,  "  I  do  not.  I  would 
rather  do  all  the  work  ourselves,  and  save  the  money." 


LIFE   AT    GARLAND'S  127 

"  Are  we  very,  very,  very  poor,  mamma?  "  said 
Nelly,  with  a  distressed  face. 

'"  Oh,  no,  dear!  not  so  bad  as  that,"  laughed  Mrs. 
March;  "  but  papa's  salary  has  all  stopped  now,  as  I 
explained  to  you ;  and  that  was  the  greater  part  of  our 
income :  and,  till  we  have  more  money  coming  in  regu- 
larly from  something  out  here,  we  must  spend  just  as 
little  as  possible. ' ' 

Just  before  dinner,  Rob  came  in  with  a  big  armful 
of  kindling-wood,  and  on  the  top  of  the  wood  he  carried 
a  long  piece  of  a  beautiful  green  vine. 

"  Oh,  Rob,  Rob,  let  me  see  that!  Where  did  you 
find  it  ?  "  said  his  mother. 

11  Upon  the  hills,  mamma,  back  of  the  saw-mill. 
There's  oceans  of  it  up  there." 

"  There  is  oceans,  Rob?  "  said  his  mother. 

"  There  are  oceans,  then!  You  knew  what  I  meant. 
It's  just  like  a  carpet;  and  you  can  pull  up  great,  long 
pieces  of  it :  it  comes  up  just  as  easy  as  any  thing. ' ' 

Mrs.  March  turned  the  vine  over  and  over  in  her 
hands.  It  had  a  small  glossy  leaf,  like  the  leaf  of  the 
box.  Some  of  the  long,  slender  tendrils  of  it  were  bright 
red. 

"  The  leaf  is  so  thick  I  think  it  would  keep  a  long 
time, ' '  said  Mrs.  March.  '  *  I  wish  you  and  Nelly  would 
bring  me  several  armfuls  of  it.  1 11  tack  it  up  all  round 
the  room :  the  walls  won 't  look  so  bare,  then. ' ' 

"  Oh,  goody!  "  said  the  children;  "  that's  just  like 
Christmas."  And  they  ran  off  as  fast  as  they  could  go. 
In  an  hour  they  had  heaped  the  whole  floor  with  piles 
of  the  vine.  The  more  they  brought,  the  more  beautiful 
it  looked:  the  leaves  shone  like  satin,  and  there  were 
great  mats  of  it  nearly  two  yards  long.  Mrs.  March 
had  never  seen  it  before,  and  did  not  know  its  name. 
Afterward  she  found  out  that  it  was  the  kinnikinnick 
vine,  and  that  the  Indians  used  it  to  smoke  in  their 


128  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

pipes.  Some  of  the  branches  had  beautiful  little  red 
berries  like  wintergreen  berries  on  them.  Nelly  sorted 
these  all  out  by  themselves ;  then  Mrs.  March  stood  up 
on  a  chair,  and  some  of  the  time  on  a  table,  and  nailed 
a  thick  border  of  these  vines  all  round  the  top  of  the 
room ;  then  she  took  the  branches  which  had  red  berries 
on  them ;  and,  wherever  there  was  an  upright  beam  in 
the  wall,  she  nailed  on  one  of  these  boughs  with  the  red 
berries,  and  let  it  hang  down  just  as  it  would.  Then 
she  trimmed  the  fireplace  and  the  door  and  the  win- 
dows. It  took  her  about  two  hours  to  do  it.  When  it 
was  all  done,  you  would  hardly  have  known  the  room. 
It  looked  lovely:  the  yellow  pine  boards  looked  much 
prettier  with  the  green  of  the  vines  than  any  paper  in 
the  world  could  have  looked.  Rob  and  Nelly  fairly 
danced  with  delight. 

I  i  Oh,  mamma !  mamma !  it 's  prettier  than  any  Christ- 
mas we  ever  had :  isn  't  it  1  ' : 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  March;  "  if  the  vines  will  only 
last,  it  is  all  we  need  to  keep  our  walls  pretty  till  sum- 
mer time. ' ' 

"  Well,  I  never!  "  said  Zeb,  who  came  in  at  that 
moment.  "  If  wimmen  folks  don't  beat  all!  Why, 
mum,  ye  look's  if  you  was  goin'  to  have  an  ice-cream 
festival." 

Zeb's  only  experience  of  rooms  decorated  with  green 
vines  had  been  when  he  had  attended  ice-cream  festi- 
vals, given  by  churches  to  raise  money. 

II  Well,  we'll  have  one  some  day,  Zeb,"  said  Mrs. 
March,  laughing ;  ' '  and  we  won 't  charge  you  any  thing. 
I  can  make  very  good  ice-cream. ' ' 

' i  Oh,  to-night !  to-night !  mamma, ' '  exclaimed  the 
children. 

11  Can't  to-night,"  Mrs.  March  said;  "  for  the  freez- 
er's in  the  big  box  with  all  the  other  kitchen  things." 

"  I  might  make  some  crullers,"  said  Mrs.  Plummer. 


LIFE   AT    GARLAND'S  129 

"Do!  do!  do!"  cried  Rob.  "Mrs.  Plummer's 
famous  for  crullers !  ' '  And  he  ran  off,  singing  — 

"Plummer! 
Cruller! 
Plummer! 
Cruller!" 

at  the  top  of  his  lungs. 

It  was  nearly  dark  before  Mr.  March  returned.  Rob 
was  the  first  to  spy  him. 

' '  Why,  there 's  Pumpkinseed !  "  he  exclaimed.  * '  And 
what  in  the  world's  papa  got  in  the  wagon?  "  And  he 
ran  down  the  road  to  meet  him.  All  the  others  ran 
too.  The  wagon  did  indeed  present  a  very  singular 
appearance.  Four  red  wooden  legs  stuck  far  out  in 
front;  Mr.  March  was  wedged  in  between  them;  high 
above  his  head  bulged  out  a  great  roll  of  bolsters  and 
pillows ;  and  as  far  as  you  could  see,  away  back  in  the 
wagon,  there  seemed  to  be  nothing  but  bed-ticking,  and 
legs  of  furniture. 

' '  Mercy  on  us !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  March ;  ' '  What 
did  I  tell  you,  Mrs.  Plummer?  That's  what  he  went 
off  for,  —  to  buy  furniture.  Mr.  March  always  must 
have  things  just  right.  Dear  me!  I  wish  he  hadn't 
done  it." 

But,  as  I  told  you  long  ago,  it  was  Mrs.  March's  way 
always  to  make  the  best  of  what  couldn't  be  helped. 
So  she  went  forward  to  welcome  her  husband  as  pleas- 
antly as  if  she  were  delighted  to  see  all  this  new  furni- 
ture. 

11  Ah,  Robert,"  she  said,  "  now  I  know  why  you 
wouldn't  take  me.  You  wanted  to  surprise  us  all." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  March,  his  face  beaming  all  over 
with  satisfaction,  "  I  didn't  mean  you  should  spend 
another  night  in  such  a  desolate  hole.  There's  another 
;wagon  load  behind. " 


130  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

At  this  Mrs.  March  could  not  help  groaning. 

"  Oh,  Robert!  Robert!  "  she  said,  "  what  did  you 
buy  so  much  for?  " 

"  Oh,  part  of  the  other  load  is  feed  for  the  cattle," 
said  Mr.  March.  "  That  I'm  responsible  to  Deacon 
Plummer  for.  Those  were  his  orders." 

When  the  two  wagons  were  unloaded,  the  space  in 
front  of  the  little  house  looked  like  an  auction.  Rob 
and  Nelly  ran  from  one  thing  to  another,  exclaiming 
and  shouting.  Mr.  March  had  indeed  furnished  the 
whole  house.  He  had  bought  two  pretty  little  single 
bedsteads  for  Rob  and  Nelly,  and  a  fine  large  bedstead 
for  himself  and  Mrs.  March ;  he  had  bought  mattresses 
and  pillows  and  bolsters  and  blankets;  a  whole  piece 
of  pretty  rag-carpet,  in  gray  and  red  stripes ;  two  large 
rocking-chairs  with  arms,  two  without,  and  two  small 
low  chairs;  a  work-table  with  drawers,  two  bureaus,  a 
wardrobe,  and  two  sets  of  book-shelves  to  hang  on  the 
walls;  two  student  lamps,  and  a  table  with  leaves  that 
could  open  out.  Then  he  had  bought  a  whole  piece 
of  pretty  chintz  in  stripes  of  black  and  green. 

"  There,  wife,"  he  said,  as  he  showed  her  this,  last 
of  all,  "  now  we  can  make  a  decent  little  home  out  of 
it,  after  a  few  days. ' ' 

As  he  spoke,  he  stepped  into  the  kitchen:  he  started 
back  with  surprise. 

'  *  Why,  how  perfectly  lovely !  "  he  exclaimed ; ' '  where 
did  you  get  it?  And  what  is  it?  I  never  saw  a  place 
so  transformed.  Why,  it  looks  even  elegant." 

"  I  thought  you  would  like  it,"  said  Mrs.  March, 
much  pleased.  "  Perhaps  if  you  had  seen  it  so  before 
you  went  away,  you  wouldn't  have  bought  so  many  new 
things." 

"  Why,  Sarah,  I  haven't  bought  a  thing  that  wasn't 
absolutely  necessary,"  said  Mr.  March. 

' '  They  are  all  very  nice,  dear, ' '  replied  Mrs.  March ; 


LIFE   AT    GARLAND'S  131 

"  and  of  course  we  shall  be  much  more  comfortable 
with  them.  It  was  very  kind  of  you.  But  haven't  you 
spent  a  great  deal  of  money?  "  she  asked  anxiously. 

"  Oh,  no!  "  said  Mr.  March,  "  I  think  not;  though 
things  are  much  higher  here  than  at  home.  I  didn't 
get  the  bills ;  but  I  don 't  believe  it 's  over  two  hundred 
dollars." 

This  seemed  a  great  deal  to  Mrs.  March;  but  she 
said  no  more.  And  the  next  day,  when  all  the  things 
were  arranged,  a  square  of  the  rag-carpet  laid  on  the 
floor,  and  the  pretty  chintz  curtains  at  the  window,  she 
could  not  help  admitting  to  herself  that  life  looked  much 
easier  and  pleasanter  than  it  had  before. 

"  And  I  ought  to  be  thankful  that  he  did  not  buy 
more/'  she  thought;  "  and  that  he  could  not  find  a 
servant  to  bring  out  here." 

On  inquiring  after  servants,  Mr.  March  had  found 
that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  get  any  good  ones ;  and 
their  wages  were  so  high,  he  had  at  once  given  up  all 
idea  of  hiring  one  now. 

"  I'll  let  you  try  it,  Sarah,  for  the  present,"  he  said, 
11  but,  if  I  see  you  in  the  least  breaking  down,  I  shall 
have  a  servant,  if  I  have  to  send  home  for  one. ' ' 

11  I  won't  break  down,"  said  Mrs.  March;  "  I  never 
felt  so  well  in  my  life.  I  am  never  tired.  I  suppose  it 
is  the  air. ' ' 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  March;  "  it  must  be.  I,  too,  feel 
like  another  man.  I  can  draw  such  full,  long  breaths; 
I  shouldn't  know  there  was  such  a  thing  as  asthma  in 
the  world." 

As  day  after  day  went  on,  they  all  came  to  like  their 
new  home  better  and  better.  The  little  room  which  had 
been  a  lumber  room  was  made  into  a  sitting-room,  and 
trimmed  all  round  with  the  kinnikinnick  vines ;  the  big 
table  with  leaves  stood  in  the  centre,  and  the  book- 
shelves hung  on  the  walls.  Zeb  and  Deacon  Plummer 


132  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

built  pine  shelves  across  one  end  of  the  room,  way  to 
the  top;  these  were  filled  with  Mr.  March's  books. 
There  were  two  small  school-desks  by  the  east  window; 
and  at  these  Rob  and  Nelly  sat  for  two  hours  every 
morning,  and  studied  and  recited  their  lessons  to  Mr. 
March.  In  the  afternoon,  they  played  out  of  doors; 
they  climbed  the  hills  and  the  rocks;  and,  at  four 
o'clock,  they  went  after  the  cows.  This  was  something 
they  were  never  tired  of,  because  they  never  knew  just 
where  they  should  find  the  cows:  they  rambled  into 
so  many  little  nooks  and  corners  among  the  hills;  but 
three  of  the  cows  had  bells  on  their  necks,  and  the  rest 
never  went  far  from  them.  Watch  always  went  with 
Rob  and  Nelly,  and  he  seemed  to  have  a  wonderful 
instinct  to  tell  where  to  look  for  a  cow.  Whenever  it 
stormed  too  much  for  the  children  to  be  out,  Zeb  went. 
Sometimes  Watch  went  all  alone.  He  could  bring  the 
cows  home  as  well  as  anybody.  But  Nelly  and  Rob 
never  liked  to  miss  it.  It  was  the  great  pleasure  of 
their  day;  and  the  out-door  air  and  the  exercise  were 
making  them  brown  and  strong.  They  looked  like  little 
Italian  peasant  children :  wherever  they  went  they  sang ; 
up  hill  and  down,  and  on  the  tops  of  the  highest  rocks, 
their  merry  voices  rang  out.  Felix  —  that  Frenchman 
I  told  you  about  that  they  saw  in  the  cars,  the  one 
who  was  servant  to  the  English  gentleman  —  had  taught 
Rob  how  to  make  the  cry  which  the  Swiss  hunters  make 
in  the  Alps.  It  is  called  the  ' '  Jodel  ' '  —  and  it  sounds 
very  fine  among  high  hill-tops.  It  is  something  like 
this :  — 

"Yo-ho!  yo-ho!  yo-ho!  "  The  syllables  are  pro- 
nounced one  after  the  other  just  as  fast  as  you  can,  in 
a  high  shrill  tone,  and  there  is  a  sort  of  tune  to  it  which 
I  could  not  describe ;  but  perhaps  you  know  some  trav- 
eller who  has  been  in  Switzerland,  who  can  describe  it 
to  you.  Rob  used  to  "  jodel  "  beautifully;  and  many 


He  would  ring  out  such  a  "jodel"  that  the  people  would  stop  and 
look  up  amazed. 


LIFE  AT    GARLAND'S  133 

a  time  when  he  was  on  a  high  rock,  way  up  above  the 
road,  and  saw  people  riding  or  driving  below  him,  he 
would  ring  out  such  a  "  jodel,"  that  the  people  would 
stop  and  look  up  amazed.  They  could  not  believe  they 
were  in  America.  Rob  was  fast  growing  as  strong  and 
well  as  Nelly.  He  never  had  sore  throats  here:  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  often  said  that  they  would  be  glad 
they  had  come  to  Colorado,  if  it  were  for  nothing  ex- 
cept that  it  had  made  Rob  so  well.  As  he  grew  stronger, 
he  grew  to  be  a  much  better  boy.  He  was  not  selfish 
nor  cross  as  he  used  to  be  at  home ;  and  he  was  as  full 
of  fun  as  a  squirrel,  all  day  long.  One  thing  he  very 
much  enjoyed  doing,  was  taking  Fox  and  Pumpkinseed 
up  to  the  tops  of  the  high  hills  to  graze.  The  best  grass 
grew  very  high  up  on  the  hills;  but  neither  Fox  nor 
Pumpkinseed  had  ever  been  used  to  such  steep  hills, 
and  they  both  hated  to  climb  them.  Deacon  Plummer 
was  very  droll  about  it.  "  Don't  blame  'em,"  said  he, 
11  don't  blame  'em  a  mite.  Who'd  want  to  be  for  ever 
climbing  up  garret  to  get  a  mouthful  of  something  to 
eat ?  ' '  However,  since  the  food  was  chiefly  "up  gar- 
ret," as  the  Deacon  called  it,  "  up  garret  "  the  horses 
must  go ;  and  it  was  somebody 's  duty  every  morning  to 
lead  them  up.  Often,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  they 
would  ramble  slowly  down:  then  they  would  have  to 
be  taken  up  again ;  and  Rob  was  always  on  the  lookout 
for  a  chance  to  do  this.  He  always  took  Fox;  he  was 
easier  to  lead  than  Pumpkinseed.  You  had  to  lead  only 
one :  the  other  would  follow ;  and  it  was  a  funny  sight 
to  see  Rob  way  up  on  the  steep  hill,  tugging  away  at 
Fox's  halter,  and  Fox  half  holding  back,  half  going 
along,  and  Pumpkinseed  behind,  following  on  slowly 
with  a  most  disgusted  expression,  every  now  and  then 
stopping  short  and  looking  up  at  Rob  and  Fox,  as  much 
as  to  say,  "  Oh,  dear!  why  will  you  drag  us  up  this 
horrible  hill?  " 


134  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

The  hill  opposite  the  house  was  so  high  that  when 
Rob  was  at  the  very  top  of  it  with  the  horses,  he  didn't 
look  bigger  than  a  "  Hop-o'-my-thumb,"  and  the  horses 
looked  like  goats.  After  he  got  them  fairly  up,  and  saw 
them  grazing  contentedly,  Rob  would  run  down  the  hill 
at  full  speed.  At  first  he  got  many  a  tumble  flat  on 
his  nose  doing  this;  but  after  a  while  he  learned  how 
to  slant  his  body  backwards,  and  then  he  did  not  tum- 
ble. 

But  while  Rob  and  Nelly  were  growing  well  and 
strong,  and  having  such  a  good  time  that  they  never 
wanted  to  go  back  to  Mayfield,  I  am  sorry  to  say  that 
the  grown  people  were  not  so  contented.  In  the  first 
place,  good  old  Mrs.  Plummer  could  not  sleep.  Her 
cough  was  all  gone;  and  if  she  could  only  have  slept, 
she  would  have  been  as  well  as  anybody ;  but  her  heart 
beat  too  fast  all  the  time,  and  kept  her  awake  at  night. 
She  did  not  know  that  she  had  any  trouble  with  her 
heart  when  she  was  at  home ;  and  nobody  had  told  them 
that  people  with  heart-trouble  could  not  live  in  Colo- 
rado :  but  that  is  the  case ;  the  air  which  is  so  pure  and 
dry  is  also  so  light  that  it  makes  your  pulse  beat  a 
good  many  times  more  a  minute,  and  it  takes  a  good 
strong  heart  to  bear  this.  You  know  your  heart  is  noth- 
ing but  a  pump  that  pumps  blood  to  go  through  your 
veins,  just  as  water  goes  through  pipes  all  over  a  house ; 
and  the  pump  has  to  be  very  strong  to  pump  so  many 
strokes  a  minute  as  it  does  in  Colorado.  So  poor  Mrs. 
Plummer,  instead  of  growing  better,  was  growing  worse ; 
and  this  made  them  all  unhappy. 

Then  Deacon  Plummer  and  Mr.  March  had  to  ac- 
knowledge that  they  were  paying  out  more  money  than 
they  took  in,  and  this  worried  them  both. 

"  We've  got  to  get  out  on't  somehow,  that's  clear 
and  sartin, ' '  said  the  Deacon.  ' '  It  won 't  take  very  long 
at  this  rate  to  clear  us  both  out.  I  hate  to  give  up. 


LIFE  AT   GARLAND'S  135 

I  'm  sure  there  must  be  better  places  in  the  country  some- 
where for  stock  raisin'  than  this  is;  but  we  won't  stir 
till  warm  weather  sets  in.  Then  we  '11  look  round. ' ' 

The  last  week  in  April  and  the  first  in  May  were  hard 
weeks.  Snow-storm  after  snow-storm  fell.  At  one  time, 
all  travel  through  the  Pass  was  cut  off  for  two  days. 
The  snow  lay  in  great  drifts  in  the  narrowest  places. 
In  such  weather  as  this,  all  the  cattle  had  to  be  kept 
in  the  barns  and  yards,  and  fed;  hay  was  very  dear; 
and  as  Deacon  Plummer  said,  "  It  don't  take  a  critter 
very  long  to  eat  its  own  head  off,  and  after  it's  eaten 
it  off  six  times  over,  its  head's  on  all  the  same  for  you 
to  keep  a  feedin  V 

When  June  came  in,  matters  brightened.  The  cows 
had  plenty  of  grass,  gave  good  milk,  and  Mrs.  March 
and  Mrs.  Plummer  made  a  good  many  pounds  of  butter 
each  week,  which  they  sold  at  Manitou  without  diffi- 
culty. Here  at  last  was  a  regular  source  of  income; 
but  it  was  small:  "  a  mere  drop  in  the  bucket,"  Mrs. 
March  said  when  she  was  talking  over  matters  with 
Mrs.  Plummer.  I  must  tell  you  how  this  butter  was 
made,  because  it  was  such  a  pleasure  to  Rob  and  Nelly 
to  watch  it.  It  Avas  made  in  a  little  shed  which  joined 
on  to  the  old  saw-mill,  and  the  old  saw-mill  wheel  did 
the  churning.  Wasn't  that  a  funny  way?  We  must 
give  Zeb  the  credit  of  this.  He  was  turning  the  grind- 
stone one  day  for  Deacon  Plummer  to  sharpen  up  the 
axes.  It  is  very  hard  work  to  turn  a  grindstone,  and 
Zeb  was  very  tired  before  the  axes  were  half  ground. 
Suddenly  the  thought  popped  into  his  head,  "  Why 
shouldn't  I  make  that  old  water-wheel  turn  this  grind- 
stone for  us?  "  After  dinner  he  went  up  to  the  saw- 
mill and  looked  at  it.  There  was  the  old  wooden  wheel 
as  good  as  ever;  the  gate  which  had  shut  the  water 
off  and  let  it  on  was  gone;  "  but  that's  easy  fixed," 
said  Zeb,  and  to  work  he  went;  and  before  sundown, 


136  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

he  had  the  water-wheel  bobbing  round  again  as  fast  as 
need  be.  The  next  day  he  took  the  grindstone  and  sunk 
it  in  between  two  old  timbers  in  a  broken  place  in  the 
floor,  just  back  of  the  wheel ;  then  he  put  a  strap  round 
the  grindstone  and  fastened  it  to  the  water-wheel ;  then 
he  pulled  up  the  little  gate,  and  let  the  water  on  the 
water-wheel.  Hurrah !  round  went  the  water-wheel, 
and  round  went  the  grindstone  keeping  exact  pace  with 
it !  Zeb  clapped  his  knee,  which  was  the  same  thing 
as  if  he  had  patted  himself  on  the  shoulder.  "  Good 
for  you,  Abe  Mack!  "  he  said.  Then  he  looked  around 
frightened,  to  see  if  anybody  had  heard  him.  No  one 
was  near.  He  drew  a  long  breath.  ' '  Lord !  "  he  said ; 
:<  to  think  o'  my  saying  that  name  out  loud  after  all 
this  time!  "  and  he  wiped  his  forehead  with  the  back 
of  his  hand.  "I'd  better  be  more  keerful  than  that," 
he  said.  "  I'll  get  tracked  yet,  if  I  don't  look  out." 
Two  years  before,  in  a  fight  in  a  mining  town  a  great 
many  miles  north  of  his  present  home,  Zeb  had  had 
the  misfortune  to  kill  a  man.  He  never  intended  to  do 
such  a  thing.  He  really  drew  his  pistol  in  self-defence ; 
but  he  could  not  prove  this,  and  he  had  fled  for  his  life, 
and  had  been  ever  since  living  hidden  away  on  this 
lonely  farm  in  the  mountains.  He  had  intended  to  go 
still  farther  away  where  there  would  be  no  possibility 
of  his  ever  being  seen  by  any  of  the  men  who  had  known 
him  before,  but  he  had  fallen  so  in  love  with  these  hills 
he  could  not  tear  himself  away  from  them.  But  he  had 
never  told  his  true  name  to  any  one,  and  when  he  pro- 
nounced it  now  the  sound  of  it  frightened  him  almost 
as  if  it  had  been  a  sheriff  who  was  calling  him  by  it. 

After  dinner,  Zeb  invited  the  whole  family  out  to  see 
his  new  water-works.  They  all  looked  on  with  interest 
and  pleasure.  Mr.  March  had  often  looked  at  the  old 
mill  and  wished  he  had  money  enough  to  put  it  in  order. 

11  Well  done,  Zeb !  "  he  said.     "  You've  turned  the 


LIFE  AT    GARLAND'S  137 

old  thing  to  some  account,  haven't  you?  That's  a  cap- 
ital idea;  we'll  grind  knives  and  axes  now  for  anybody 
who  comes  along." 

"  Zeb,"  said  Mrs.  March,  "  can't  you  make  it  churn 
the  butter  for  you?  " 

Zeb  was  struck  by  the  idea. 

"  Lor,  ma'am,"  he  said;  "  I  never  heard  o'  such  a 
thing!  but  I  don't  know  why  not.  I'll  try  it,  sure's 
my  name's  —  "he  stopped  short,  and  gasped  out  "  Zeb- 
ulon  Craig." 

No  one  observed  his  agitation.  They  were  all  too 
busy  watching  the  grindstone  and  the  water-wheel. 
The  next  day  and  the  next,  Zeb  was  seen  steadily  at 
work  in  the  saw-mill.  He  would  not  let  the  children 
stay  with  him. 

"  Run  away!  run  away!  "  he  said.  "  I've  got  a  job 
o'  thinkin'  to  do:  can't  think  with  you  youngsters  a 
lookin'  on." 

Rob  and  Nelly  were  almost  beside  themselves  with 
curiosity. 

* e  Zeb 's  making  a  churn  to  go  by  water  like  the  grind- 
stone: I  know  he  is,"  said  Rob.  "  It's  real  mean  for 
him  not  to  let  us  see. ' ' 

"  But,  Rob,"  said  the  wise  Nelly,  "  he  says  he  can't 
think  if  we're  round.  He'll  show  it  to  us  's  soon's  it's 
done." 

"  I  don't  care,"  said  Rob;  "  I  want  to  see  how  he 
does  it ;  "  and  Rob  hovered  round  the  mill  perpetually, 
much  to  Zeb's  vexation. 

Late  in  the  second  afternoon,  Zeb  called  out :  — 

"  Rob,  go  fetch  me  the  churn,  will  you?  " 

Rob  was  only  too  happy  to  be  admitted  into  the  part- 
nership on  any  terms.  The  churn  was  quite  heavy,  but 
he  rolled  it  and  tugged  it  to  the  shed-door.  Zeb  lifted 
it  over  the  threshold :  and  then  Rob  saw  that  there  was 
a  long  slender  beam  fastened  to  the  water-wheel,  and 


138  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

reaching  half  way  across  the  wall  of  the  shed;  an  up- 
right beam  was  fastened  to  this,  a  hole  was  cut  in  the 
shed  wall,  and  another  beam  run  through  this  hole, 
and  fastened  to  the  upright  beam  on  the  other  side. 
When  the  water-wheel  turned  round  and  round,  it  made 
this  upright  beam  go  up  and  down.  Zeb  took  the  dasher 
of  the  churn  and  fastened  it  to  this  beam :  up  and 
down,  up  and  down  it  went,  faster  than  anybody  could 
churn. 

"  'Tain't  quite  long  enough,"  said  Zeb.  "  We'll  have 
to  stand  the  churn  on  something."  Then  he  ran  back 
to  the  house  and  asked  Mrs.  Plummer  for  some  cream. 
She  gave  him  about  three  gallons;  he  put  it  into  the 
churn,  raised  the  churn  a  little  higher,  and  set  the  ma- 
chinery in  motion.  In  about  ten  minutes  he  looked  in. 

"  It 's  comin ' !  it 's  comin ' !  "  he  cried.  * '  Run,  call 
all  the  folks,  Rob." 

Rob  ran,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  whole  family  were 
looking  on  at  this  new  mode  of  churning.  It  worked 
beautifully;  in  fifteen  minutes  more  the  butter  was 
made. 

* '  There !  ' '  said  Zeb,  as  he  drew  up  the  dasher  with 
great  solid  lumps  of  butter  sticking  to  it.  "  If  that 
ain't  the  easiest  churned  three  gallons  o'  cream  ever  I 
see!  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,  Zeb,"  said  Mrs.  March,  "  it  is.  We 
sha'n't  dread  churning-day  any  more." 

Mr.  March  examined  the  machinery  curiously. 
"  Zeb,"  he  said,  "if  we  had  two  good  iron  wheels  we 
could  make  shingles  here,  couldn't  we?  I  believe  it 
would  pay  to  rig  the  old  place  up  again." 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  Zeb.  "There's  nothin'  ye  can't 
make  with  such  a  stream  o'  water's  that  if  ye've  got 
the  machinery  to  put  it  to.  It's  only  the  machinery 
that's  wan  tin'.  We've  got  water  power  enough  here 
to  run  a  factory." 


LIFE   AT    GAELAN&S  139 

You  would  not  have  thought  so  to  look  at  it;  the 
water  did  not  come  right  up  out  of  the  brook;  it  came 
through  a  wooden  pipe,  high  up  on  wooden  posts.  It 
was  taken  out  of  the  brook  a  mile  or  two  farther  up  the 
Pass,  where  the  ground  was  a  great  deal  higher  than  it 
was  here  at  the  mill.  So  it  came  running  all  the  way 
down  through  this  pipe,  high  up  above  the  brook,  and 
when  it  was  let  out  it  fell  with  great  force.  The  pipe 
was  quite  old  now,  and  it  leaked  in  many  places;  in 
one  place  there  was  such  a  big  leak  it  made  a  little 
waterfall ;  this  water  dripping  and  falling  into  the  brook 
beneath  made  it  sound  like  a  shower,  and  all  the  bushes 
and  green  things  along  the  edges  of  the  brook  were  drip- 
ping wet  all  the  time.  There  was  a  big  pile  of  the  old 
sawdust  on  the  edge  of  the  brook;  this  was  of  a  bright 
yellow  color:  the  old  saw-mill  had  fallen  so  into  decay 
that  three  sides  of  it  were  open,  and  it  looked  hardly 
safe  to  go  into  it.  You  had  to  step  carefully  from  one 
beam  to  another:  there  was  not  much  of  the  floor  left. 
But  it  was  a  lovely,  cool,  shady  place,  and  almost  every 
day  some  of  the  teamsters  who  were  driving  heavy  teams 
through  the  Pass  would  stop  here  to  take  their  lunch 
at  noon:  often  Rob  and  Nelly  would  go  out  and  talk 
with  them,  and  carry  them  milk  to  drink.  Zeb  kept 
out  of  sight  at  such  times.  He  was  always  in  fear  of 
being  seen  by  somebody  who  had  known  him  in  the 
northern  country. 

As  the  summer  came  on,  all  sorts  of  beautiful  flowers 
appeared  along  the  edges  of  the  brook,  in  the  open  clear- 
ings, and  even  in  the  crevices  of  the  rocks.  Nelly  gath- 
ered great  bunches  of  them  every  morning.  She  loved 
flowers  almost  as  well  as  she  loved  mountains.  She 
used  to  go  out  late  in  the  afternoon  and  gather  a  huge 
basketful  of  all  the  kinds  she  could  find,  —  red  and 
white,  and  yellow  and  blue,  —  then  she  would  set  the 
basket  in  the  brook  and  let  the  water  run  through  it 


140  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

all  night,  keeping  the  stems  of  the  flowers  very  wet. 
In  the  morning  they  would  look  as  fresh  as  if  she  had 
just  picked  them.  Remember  this,  all  of  you  little  chil- 
dren who  love  flowers  and  like  to  pick  them.  If  you 
pick  them  in  the  morning,  they  will  wither  and  never 
revive  perfectly,  no  matter  how  much  water  you  put 
them  in.  Pick  them  at  sundown,  and  leave  them  in  a 
great  tub  full  of  water  out  of  doors  all  night,  and  in  the 
morning  you  can  arrange  them  in  bouquets,  and  they 
will  keep  twice  as  long  as  they  would  if  you  had  not 
left  them  out  of  doors  all  night.  Nelly  used  to  sit  on 
the  ground  in  the  open  space  west  of  the  saw-mill  and 
arrange  her  bouquets;  sometimes  she  would  tie  up  as 
many  as  eight  or  ten  in  one  morning,  and  sometimes 
travellers  driving  past  would  call  to  her  and  ask  her  to 
sell  them :  but  Nelly  would  not  sell  them ;  she  always 
gave  them  away  to  anybody  who  loved  flowers.  Rob 
thought  she  was  very  foolish.  "  Nell,  why  didn't  you 
take  the  money?  "  he  would  say.  "  It's  just  the  same 
to  sell  flowers  as  milk:  isn't  it?  " 

"  No,"  said  Nelly,  "  I  don't  think  it  is.  The  flowers 
are  not  ours. ' ' 

"  Whose  are  they?  "  exclaimed  Rob. 

"  God's,"  said  Nelly,  soberly.  Rob  could  not  appre- 
ciate Nelly's  feeling. 

"  Well,  what  makes  you  steal  'em,  then?  "  he  asked, 
in  a  satirical  tone. 

"  God  likes  to  have  us  pick  them:  I  know  he  does," 
said  Nelly,  earnestly.  "  He  gives  them  all  to  us  for 
every  summer  as  long  as  we  live." 

"  Oh,  pshaw,  Nell!  "  said  Rob.  "  He  don't  do  any 
such  thing.  They  just  grow:  that's  all." 

"  Well,  papa  says  that  God  makes  them  grow  on 
purpose  for  us  to  see  how  pretty  they  are.  They  aren't 
of  any  other  use:  they  aren't  the  same  as  potatoes. 
And  don't  you  know  the  little  verse, — 


LIFE  AT    GARLAND'S  141 

" '  God  might  have  made  the  earth  bring  forth 

Enough  for  great  and  small; 
The  oak  tree  and  the  cedar  tree, 
Without  a  flower  at  all.' 

I'm  always  thinking  of  that.     'Twould  be  horrid  here 
if  we  didn't  have  any  thing  but  things  to  eat." 


CHAPTER   VII 

A    HUNT    FOR    A    SILVER   MINE 

ONE  morning,  early  in  June,  Nelly  was  sitting  out 
by  the  old  mill,  with  her  lap  full  of  blue  anemones 
and  white  daisies:  the  anemones  were  hardly  out  of 
their  gray  cloaks.  The  anemones  in  Colorado  come  up 
out  of  the  ground  like  crocuses ;  the  buds  are  rolled  up 
tight  in  the  loveliest  little  furry  coverings  almost  like 
chinchilla  fur.  I  think  this  is  to  keep  them  warm,  be- 
cause they  come  very  early  in  the  spring,  and  often 
there  are  cold  storms  after  they  arrive,  and  the  poor 
little  anemones  are  all  covered  up  in  snow. 

Nelly  heard  steps  and  voices  and  the  trampling  of 
hoofs.  She  sprang  up,  and  saw  that  a  large  blue  wagon, 
drawn  by  eight  mules,  had  just  turned  in  from  the  road,' 
towards  the  brook,  and  the  driver  was  making  ready  to 
camp.  He  came  towards  Nelly,  and  said,  very  pleas- 
antly :  — 

11  Little  girl,  do  your  folks  live  in  yonder?  "  pointing 
to  the  house. 

"Yes,  sir,  "said  Nelly. 

"  Do  they  ever  keep  folks?  " 

"  What,  sir?  "  said  Nelly. 

* '  Do  they  ever  keep  folks,  —  keep  'em  to  board  ?  ' 5 

"  Oh,  no!  never,"  replied  Nelly. 

The  man  looked  disappointed.  "  Well,"  he  said, 
"  I've  got  to  lie  by  here  a  day  or  two,  anyhow.  I  was 
in  hopes  I  could  get  took  in.  I'm  clean  beat  out;  but 
I  can  sleep  in  the  wagon." 


A    HUNT   FOR   A    SILVER   MINE          143 

"  My  mamma  will  be  glad  to  do  all  she  can  for  you 
if  you're  sick,  sir,  I'm  sure,"  said  Nelly;  "  but  we 
haven't  any  spare  room  in  our  house." 

The  driver  looked  at  Nelly  again.  He  had  once  been 
a  coachman  in  a  gentleman's  family  at  the  East,  and  he 
knew  by  Nelly's  voice  and  polite  manner  that  she  was 
not  the  child  of  any  of  the  common  farmers  of  the 
country. 

"  Have  you  lived  here  long?  "  he  said. 

' '  Oh,  no !  "  replied  Nelly :  ' '  only  since  last  spring. 
We  came  because  my  papa  was  sick.  He  has  the 
asthma. ' ' 

"  Oh!  "  said  the  man:   "  I  thought  so." 

Nelly  wondered  why  the  man  should  have  thought 
her  papa  had  the  asthma;  but  she  did  not  ask  him 
what  he  meant.  In  a  few  minutes,  the  man  lay  down 
in  his  wagon  and  fell  fast  asleep,  and  Nelly  went  into 
the  house.  After  dinner,  she  told  Rob  about  the  man, 
and  they  went  out  together  to  see  him.  They  peeped 
into  the  wagon.  It  was  loaded  full  of  small  bits  of 
gray  rock:  the  man  was  rolled  up  in  a  buffalo  robe, 
lying  on  top  of  the  stones,  still  fast  asleep.  His  face 
was  very  red,  and  he  breathed  loud. 

1 '  Oh,  dear !  ' '  said  Nelly,  * l  how  uncomfortable  he 
must  be!  He  looks  real  sick." 

"  I  bet  he's  drunk!  "  said  Rob,  who  had  unluckily 
seen  a  good  deal  of  that  sort  of  sickness  since  he  had 
lived  on  a  thoroughfare  for  mule-wagons. 

"  Is  he?  "  said  Nelly,  horror-stricken.  "  No,  Rob, 
he  can't  be,  because  he  talked  with  me  real  nice  this 
morning.  Let 's  go  and  tell  mamma. ' ' 

Mr.  March  went  out,  looked  at  the  man,  and  woke 
him  up.  He  found  that  he  was  indeed  ill,  and  not 
drunk.  The  poor  fellow  had  been  five  days  on  the 
road,  with  a  very  heavy  cold ;  and  had  taken  more  cold 
jgvery  night,  sleeping  in  the  open  air.  Walking  all  day 


144  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

long  in  the  hot  sun  had  also  made  him  worse,  and  he 
was  suffering  severely. 

"  Come  right  into  the  house  with  me,  my  man,"  said 
Mr.  March;  "  my  wife '11  make  you  a  cup  of  hot  tea." 

"  Oh,  thank  you!  "  said  the  man.  "  I've  been 
thinkin'  I'd  give  all  the  ore  in  this  'ere  wagon  for  a 
first-rate  cup  of  tea.  I  don't  never  carry  tea:  only 
coffee;  but  I've  turned  against  coffee  these  last  two 
days;  "  and  he  followed  Mr.  March  into  the  house. 

"  What'd  you  say  you  had  in  your  wagon?  "  asked 
Hob,  who  had  been  standing  by. 

"  Ore,"  said  the  man. 

The  only  word  Rob  knew  which  had  that  sound  was 
"  oar." 

11  Oar!  "  he  said.  "  Why,  I  didn't  see  any  thing  but 
rocks. ' '  ^ 

Mr.  March  and  the  man  both  laughed. 

"  Not  '  oar,'  to  row  with,  Rob,"  said  Mr.  March; 
11  but  '  ore,'  to  make  money  out  of." 

"  Silver  ore,  I  suppose,"  he  added,  turning  to  the 
man. 

"  Yes,"  he  said;  "  from  the  Moose  mine,  up  on 
Mount  Lincoln." 

Rob's  eyes  grew  big.  "Oh!  tell  me  about  it,"  he 
said.  And  Nelly,  coming  up  closer,  exclaimed,  in  a 
tone  unusually  eager  for  her,  "  And  me  too.  Is  the 
mountain  made  of  silver,  like  the  mountains  in  fairy 
stories?  " 

The  man  was  drinking  his  tea,  and  did  not  answer. 
He  drank  it  in  great  mouthfuls,  though  it  was  scalding 
hot. 

"  Oh,  ma'am,"  he  said,  tl  I  haven't  tasted  any  thing 
that  went  right  to  the  spot's  that  does,  for  months;  if 
it  wouldn  't  trouble  ye  too  much,  I  'd  like  one  more  cup. ' ' 
He  drank  the  second  cup  as  quickly  as  he  had  the  first  ; 
then  he  leaned  his  head  back  in  the  chair,  and  said: 


A    HUNT   FOR   A    SILVER   MINE          145 

"  I  feel  like  a  new  man  now.  I  guess  that  was  the 
medicine  I  needed.  I  reckon  I  can  go  on  this  after- 
noon. ' ' 

"  No,"  said  Mr.  March:  "  you  ought  to  stay  here 
till  to-morrow.  There  is  an  old  leather-covered  settee 
in  the  barn  you're  welcome  to  sleep  on.  It  will  be  bet- 
ter than  the  ground;  and  we'll  doctor  you  with  hot 
tea,  night  and  morning. ' ' 

' '  You  're  very  kind, ' '  said  the  man :  "I  don 't  know 
but  I'd  better  stay." 

"  Oh,  do!  do!  "  said  Rob;  and  "  do!  do!  "  said 
Nelly.  "  Stay  and  tell  us  all  about  the  mountain  of 
silver  and  the  Moose;  does  the  Moose  draw  out  the 
silver?  " 

You  see  Rob  and  Nelly  couldn't  get  it  out  of  their 
heads  that  it  was  all  like  a  fairy  tale.  And  so  it  is 
when  you  think  of  it,  more  wonderful  than  almost  any 
fairy  tale,  to  think  how  great  mountains  are  full  of  sil- 
ver and  of  gold,  and  men  can  burrow  deep  down  into 
them,  and  get  out  all  the  silver  and  gold  they  need. 

"  Oh,  there  isn't  any  real  Moose,"  said  the  man. 
"  That's  only  the  name  of  the  mine.  I  don't  know 
why  they  called  the  mine  the  Moose  mine.  They  give 
mines  the  queerest  kind  o '  names. ' ' 

"  What  is  a  mine,  anyhow?  "  asked  Rob. 

"  Oh,"  said  the  man,  "  I  forgot  you  didn't  know  that. 
A  mine 's  a  hole  in  the  ground,  or  in  the  side  of  a  moun- 
tain, where  they  dig  out  gold  or  silver.  There's  mines 
that's  miles  and  miles  big,  underground,  with  passages 
running  every  way  like  streets. ' ' 

' '  How  do  they  see  down  there  ?  ' '  said  Rob. 

"  They  carry  lanterns,  and  there  are  lanterns  fas- 
tened up  in  the  walls." 

"  Is  your  wagon  all  full  of  silver?  "  asked  Nelly,  in 
a  low  tone. 

"  Not  exactly  all  silver  yet,"  the  man  said,  laughing; 


146  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

"  there's  a  good  deal  of  silver  in  it:  it's  very  good 
ore." 

"  It  looked  just  like  gray  rock,"  said  Rob. 

"  Well,  that's  what  it  is,"  replied  the  man;  "it's 
gray  rock.  It's  got  to  be  all  pounded  up  fine  in  a  mill, 
and  then  it's  got  to  be  roasted  with  salt  in  a  great  oven, 
and  then  it's  got  to  be  mixed  with  chemicals  and  things. 

I  don't   rightly  know  just   what  it  is  they  do   to  it; 
it's  a  heap  of  work  I  know,  before  it  ever  gets  to  be  the 
pure  silver." 

"  Some  day  I  will  take  you,  Rob,"  said  his  father, 

I 1  where  you  can  see  all  this  done :   I  want  to  see  it  my- 
self.    Run  out,  now,  you  and  Nelly,  and  play,  and  let 
the  driver  rest.    He  is  too  tired  to  talk  any  more. ' ' 

Rob  and  Nelly  went  back  to  the  wagon.  All  Nelly's 
anemones  and  daisies  were  lying  on  the  ground,  with- 
ered. Even  this  one  short  hour  of  hot  sun  had  been 
enough  to  kill  them. 

"  Oh,  my  poor,  dear  flowers!  "  said  Nelly,  picking 
them  up.  "  How  could  I  forget  you!  "  and  she  looked 
at  them  as  sorrowfully  as  if  they  were  little  babies  she 
had  neglected. 

11  Pooh,  Nell,"  cried  Rob.  "  They're  no  good  now. 
Throw  them  in  the  brook,  and  come  look  at  the  silver." 

They  both  climbed  up  on  the  tongue  of  the  wagon 
and  looked  in  at  the  front. 

11  I  can't  see  any  silver  about  it,"  said  Nelly;  "  it 
don 't  look  like  any  thing  but  little  gray  stones,  all  broken 
up  into  bits." 

"  No,"  said  Rob:  "  it  don't  shine  much;  "  and  he 
picked  up  a  bit  and  held  it  out  in  the  sun. 

"  Oh,  take  care!  take  care,  Rob!  "  cried  Nelly. 
"  Don't  lose  it;  it  might  be  as  much  as  a  quarter  of 
a  dollar,  that  bit." 

"  Nell,"  said  Rob,  earnestly,  "  don't  you  wish  papa 
had  a  mine,  and  we  could  dig  up  all  the  money  we 


A    HUNT   FOR   A    SILVER   MINE          147 

wanted?  oh,  my!  "  and  Rob  drew  in  his  breath  in  a 
long  whistle. 

"  Yes/'  said  Nelly:  "  I  mean  to  look  for  one.  Do 
you  find  the  holes  already  dug,  do  you  suppose?  Per- 
haps that  place  where  old  Molly  tumbled  in  was  a 
mine. ' ' 

Old  Molly  was  one  of  their  cows,  who  had  tumbled 
one  day  into  a  hole  made  by  a  slide  of  earth;  and  Zeb 
had  had  to  go  down  and  tie  ropes  around  her  to  pull 
her  up. 

"  Yes/'  said  Rob:  "  I  bet  you  any  thing  it  is.  Let's 
go  right  up  there  now,  and  see  if  we  can  find  some  rock 
like  this.  I'll  carry  this  piece  in  my  pocket  to  tell  by. 
I  '11  only  borrow  it :  I  '11  put  it  back. ' ' 

"  Let  me  carry  it  then,"  said  Nelly.  "  I'm  so  afraid 
you '11  lose  it." 

So  Nelly  tied  the  little  bit  of  gray  rock  in  a  corner 
of  her  pocket-handkerchief,  and  then  crammed  her  hand- 
kerchief down  tight  in  her  pocket,  and  they  set  off  at 
a  swift  pace,  towards  the  ravine  where  Molly  had  had 
her  unlucky  fall. 

When  dinner-time  came,  the  children  were  nowhere 
to  be  found.  Zeb  went  up  and  down  the  brook  for  a 
mile,  looking  and  calling  aloud.  "Watch  and  Trotter  had 
both  disappeared  also. 

"  Ye  needn't  worry  so  long's  the  dogs  is  along, 
ma'am,"  said  Zeb,  when  he  returned  from  his  bootless 
search.  "  If  they  get  into  any  trouble,  Watch '11  come 
home  and  let  us  know.  He's  got  more  sense 'n  most 
men,  that  dog  has." 

But  Mrs.  March  could  not  help  worrying.  Never  since 
they  had  lived  in  the  Pass  had  Nelly  and  Rob  gone  away 
for  any  long  walk  without  coming  and  bidding  her 
good-by,  and  telling  her  where  they  were  going.  The 
truth  was,  that  this  time  they  had  entirely  forgotten 
it :  they  were  so  excited  by  the  hopes  of  finding  a  mine. 


148  NELLY'S    SILVER   MINE 

They  had  walked  nearly  a  mile  when  Nelly  suddenly 
exclaimed:  "  Oh,  Rob!  we  didn't  say  good-by  to 
mamma !  She  won 't  know  wrhere  we  are. ' ' 

11  So  we  didn't!  "  said  Rob.  "  What  a  shame!  But 
we  can't  go  back  now,  Nell:  it's  too  late;  we've  come 
miles  and  miles ;  we  'd  better  keep  on ;  she  '11  know  we  're 
all  right ;  we  always  are.  We  're  most  there  now. ' ' 

It  was  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  before  Rob  and 
Nelly  got  home.  Mrs.  March  had  been  walking  up  and 
down  the  road  anxiously  for  an  hour,  when  she  saw 
the  two  little  figures  coming  down  the  very  steepest  of 
the  hills.  They  walked  very  slowly ;  so  slowly  that  she 
felt  sure  one  of  them  must  be  hurt.  The  dogs  were 
bounding  along  before  them.  As  soon  as  the  children 
saw  their  mother,  Rob  took  off  his  hat,  and  Nelly  her 
sun-bonnet,  and  waved  them  in  the  air.  This  relieved 
Mrs.  March's  fears,  and  the  tears  came  into  her  eyes, 
she  was  so  glad.  "  Oh,  Robert,  there  they  are!  "  she 
exclaimed  to  Mr.  March,  who  had  just  joined  her. 
: '  See !  there  they  are,  way  up  on  that  steep  hill.  Thank 
God,  they  are  safe!  " 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  both  stood  in  the  road,  shading 
their  eyes  with  their  hands,  and  looking  up  at  the  chil- 
dren. 

As  they  drew  nearer,  Mrs.  March  exclaimed :  ' '  Why, 
what  are  they  carrying?  "  Mr.  March  burst  out  laugh- 
ing, and  said :  ' '  They  look  like  little  pack  mules. ' '  In 
a  few  minutes,  the  hot,  tired,  dusty  little  wanderers 
reached  the  road,  and  ran  breathlessly  up  to  their  father 
and  mother:  "  Oh,  mamma!  "  cried  Rob;  and  "  Oh, 
papa!  "  cried  Nelly.  "  We've  found  a  mine;  we've  got 
lots  of  ore ;  now  we  can  get  all  the  money  we  want.  You 
see  if  this  isn't  almost  exactly  like  the  stuff  in  the  man's 
wagon!  "  and  Nelly  emptied  her  apron  on  the  ground, 
and  Rob  emptied  his  jacket;  he  had  taken  it  off  and 
carried  it  by  the  sleeves  so  as  to  make  a  big  sack  of  it. 


A    HUNT   FOR   A    SILVER   MINE          149 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  could  hardly  keep  from  laughing 
at  the  sight:  there  were  the  two  piles  of  little  bits  of 
stone,  and  the  children  with  red  and  dirty  faces  and  the 
perspiration  rolling  down  their  cheeks,  getting  down  on 
their  knees  to  pick  out  their  choicest  specimens.  Nelly 
was  fumbling  deep  down  in  her  pocket;  presently  she 
drew  out  her  handkerchief  all  knotted  in  a  wisp,  and 
out  of  the  last  knot  she  took  the  little  bit  of  ore  which 
they  had  borrowed  from  the  wagon  for  a  sample.  This 
she  laid  in  her  father's  hand:  "  There,  papa,"  she  said, 
* '  that 's  the  man 's :  we  borrowed  it  to  carry  along  to 
tell  by." 

"  They  don't  look  so  much  like  it  as  they  did,"  she 
added,  turning  sorrowfully  back  to  the  poor  little  pile 
of  stones.  Rob  was  gazing  at  them  too,  with  a  crest- 
fallen face. 

"  Why,  they  don't  shine  a  bit  now,"  he  said;  "  up 
there  they  shone  like  every  thing. ' ' 

Mr.  March  picked  up  a  bit  of  the  stone  and  looked 
closely  at  it.  * 

1 '  Ah,  Rob,"  he  said,  "  the  reason  it  doesn't  shine  now, 
is  because  the  sun  has  gone  under  a  cloud.  There  are 
little  points  of  mica  in  these  stones,  and  mica  shines 
in  the  sun;  but  there  isn't  any  silver  here,  dear.  Did 
you  really  think  you  had  made  all  our  fortunes  ?  ' : 

Rob  did  not  speak.  He  had  hard  work  to  keep  from 
crying.  He  stood  still,  slowly  kicking  the  pile  of  stones 
with  one  foot.  His  father  pitied  him  very  much. 

I  i  Never  mind,  Rob, ' '  he  said ;   ' '  you  're  not  the  first 
fellow  that  has  thought  he  had  found  a  mine,  and  been 
mistaken." 

Rob  stooped  down  and  picked  up  two  big  handfuls 
of  the  stones  and  threw  them  as  far  as  he  could  throw 
them. 

"  Old  cheats!  "  he  said. 

I 1  Yes,  real  old  cheats !  ' '  said  Nelly ;   and  she  began 


150  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

to  scatter  the  stones  with  her  foot.  "  And  they  were 
awful  heavy.  Oh,  mamma,  I  'm  so  hungry !  ' ' 

"  So'm  I,"  said  Rob.    "  Isn't  it  dinner-time?  " 

* '  Dinner-time !  ' '  exclaimed  their  mother.  ' '  Did  you 
really  not  have  any  more  idea  of  the  time  than  that! 
Why,  it  is  three  o  'clock !  Where  have  you  been  ?  ' ' 

: '  Not  very  far,  mamma, ' '  answered  Nelly ;  ' '  only  up 
where  old  Molly  tumbled  in.  Rob  thought  perhaps  that 
hole  was  a  mine.  It's  all  full  of  these  shining  stones. 
Isn  't  it  too  bad,  mamma  ?  ' ! 

11  Isn't  what  too  bad,  Nell?  "  said  Mrs.  March. 

' '  Why,  too  bad  that  they  ain  't  silver, ' '  replied  Nelly. 
1  '  We  thought  we  could  all  have  every  thing  we  wanted. ' ' 
.  Mrs.  March  laughed. 

"  What  do  you  want  most  of  all  this  minute?  "  she 
said. 

"  Something  to  eat,  mamma,"  said  Nelly. 

"  Well,  that  you  can  have;  and  that  I  hope  we  can 
always  have  without  any  silver  mine:  and  to-day  we 
have  something  very  good  to  eat." 

"  Oh!   what,  mamma,  what?   say,  quick!  "  said  Rob. 

"  Chicken  pie,"  said  Mrs.  March,  in  a  very  comical, 
earnest  tone. 

' '  Chicken  pie !  "  shouted  Rob.  ' '  Hurrah !  hurrah !  ' ' 
and  both  he  and  Nelly  ran  toward  the  house  as  hard  as 
they  could  go. 

"  There  is  a  wish-bone  drying  for  you  on  the  mantel- 
piece," called  out  Mr.  March. 

"  They'll  both  wish  for  a  silver  mine,  I  expect," 
laughed  Mrs.  March,  as  she  and  her  husband  walked 
slowly  along.  "  What  a  queer  notion  that  was  to  come 
into  such  children 's  heads !  ' ' 

11  I  don't  know,"  said  Mr.  March,  reflectively;  "  I 
think  it's  a  very  natural  notion  to  come  into  anybody's 
head.  I  'd  like  a  silver  mine  myself,  very  much. ' ' 

"  We  mightn't  be  any  happier  if  we  had  one,  nor 


A    HUNT   FOR   A    SILVER   MINE          151 

half  so  happy, ' '  replied  Mrs.  March.  "  I  'd  rather  have 
you  well,  and  the  children  well,  than  have  all  the  silver 
mines  in  Colorado. ' ' 

' l  If  you  had  to  choose  between  the  two  things,  I  dare 
say,"  answered  Mr.  March;  "  but  I  suppose  a  person 
might  have  good  health  and  a  silver  mine  besides.  How 
would  that  do?  " 

"  "Well,  I'll  make  sure  of  the  health  first,"  said  Mrs. 
March,  laughing.  "I'm  not  in  so  much  hurry  for  the 
silver  mine." 

After  Rob  and  Nelly  had  eaten  up  all  the  chicken  pie 
which  had  been  saved  for  them,  they  took  down  the  wish- 
bone from  the  mantel-piece,  and  prepared  to  "  wish." 

"It's  so  dry,  it'll  break  splendidly,"  said  Rob.  "  I 
know  what  I  'm  going  to  wish  for. ' ' 

"  So  do  I,"  said  Nelly,  resolutely;  "I'm  going  to 
wish  hard." 

They  both  pulled  with  all  their  might.  Crack  went 
the  wish-bone,  —  no  difference  in  the  length  of  the  two 
pieces. 

* '  Pshaw !  ' '  cried  Rob ;  ' '  how  mean !  one  or  the  other 
of  us  might  have  had  it. ' ' 

Nelly  drew  a  long  sigh.  "  Rob,"  said  she,  "  what 
did  you  wish  for  ?  ' ' 

' l  A  silver  mine, ' '  said  he,  ' '  both  times. ' ' 

"  So  did  I,"  said  Nell.  "  I  thought  you  did,  too. 
I  guess  we  sha  'n  't  either  of  us  ever  have  one. ' ' 

"  I  don't  care,"  said  Rob;  "  there's  plenty  of  money 
besides  in  mines.  I'm  going  to  have  a  bank  when  I'm 
a  man. ' ' 

"  Are  you,  Rob?  "  said  Nell.    "  What's  that?  " 

"  Oh,  just  a  house  where  you  can  go  and  get  money," 
replied  Rob,  confidently.  ' '  I  used  to  go  with  papa  often 
at  home.  They  gave  him  all  he  wanted. ' ' 

Nelly  looked  somewhat  perplexed.  She  did  not  know 
any  thing  about  banks:  still  she  thought  there  was  a 


152  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

loose  screw  somewhere  in  Rob's  calculations;  but  she 
did  not  ask  him  any  more  questions. 

After  tea,  Mr.  March  walked  away  with  the  driver 
of  the  mule  team.  They  did  not  come  back  until  it  was 
dark.  Mr.  March  opened  the  door  of  the  sitting-room, 
and  said,  "  Sarah,  I  wish  you'd  come  out  here  a  few 
minutes."  When  she  had  stepped  out  and  closed  the 
door,  he  said,  ' '  I  want  you  to  come  up  where  the  wagon 
is:  there's  a  nice  bonfire  up  there,  and  it  isn't  cold; 
I  want  this  man  to  tell  you  all  he 's  been  telling  me  about 
a  place  down  south,  —  a  hundred  miles  below  this.  If 
it 's  all 's  he  says,  that 's  the  place  we  ought  to  go  to.  But 
I  wanted  you  to  hear  all  about  it  before  I  said  any  thing 
to  the  Deacon." 

The  driver's  name,  by  the  way,  was  Billy;  he  was 
called  "  Long  Billy  "  on  the  roads  where  he  drove,  be- 
cause his  legs  were  so  long,  and  his  body  so  short.  He 
had  made  a  splendid  bonfire  on  the  edge  of  the  brook, 
and  Mr.  March  and  he  had  been  sitting  there  for  an 
hour,  on  a  buffalo  robe  spread  on  the  ground.  Mrs. 
March  sat  down  with  them,  and  Long  Billy  began  his 
story  over  again.  It  seemed  that  he  had  formerly  been 
a  driver  of  a  mule  team  on  another  route,  much  farther 
south  than  this  one.  He  had  "  hauled  ore,"  as  he  called 
it,  from  a  little  town  called  Rosita,  to  another  town  called 
Canyon  City.  There  the  ore  was  packed  on  cars  and  sent 
over  the  little  narrow-gauge  railroad  up  to  Central  City, 
where  the  silver  was  extracted  from  the  rock,  and 
moulded  into  little  solid  bricks  of  silver  ready  to  be  sent 
to  the  mint  at  Philadelphia  to  be  made  into  half  dollars 
and  quarters. 

This  town  of  Rosita  lay  among  mountains :  was  built 
on  the  sides  of  two  or  three  narrow  gulches,  in  the  "Wet 
Mountain  range ;  at  the  foot  of  these  mountains  was  the 
beautiful  "Wet  Mountain  Valley,  —  a  valley  thirty  miles 
long,  and  only  from  five  to  eight  miles  wide;  on  the 


A    HUNT  FOR   A    SILVER   MINE          153 

side  farthest  from  Rosita  this  valley  was  walled  by  an- 
other high  mountain  range,  the  Sangre  di  Christo  range. 
This  means  "  The  blood  of  Christ."  The  Spaniards 
gave  this  name  to  the  mountains  when  they  first  came 
to  the  country.  All  the  mountains  in  the  Sangre  di 
Christo  range  are  over  eight  thousand  feet  high,  and 
many  of  them  are  over  twelve  thousand;  their  points 
are  sharp  like  the  teeth  of  a  saw,  and  they  are  white 
with  snow  the  greater  part  of  the  year.  The  beautiful 
valley  lying  between  these  two  long  lines  of  mountains 
was  the  place  about  which  Long  Billy  had  been  telling 
Mr.  March,  and  now  began  to  tell  Mrs.  March. 

"  Why,  ma'am,"  he  said,  "  I  tell  ye,  after  coming 
over  these  plains,  it  is  jest  like  lookin'  into  Heaven,  to 
get  a  look  down  into  that  valley;  it's  as  green  as  any 
medder  land  ye  ever  laid  your  eyes  on;  I've  seen  the 
grass  there  higher 'n  my  knee,  in  July." 

"  Oh !  "  said  Mrs.  March,  with  a  sigh  of  satisfaction 
at  the  very  thought  of  it,  * '  I  would  like  to  see  tall  grass 
once  more." 

"  Yes,  indeed,  wife,"  said  Mr.  March;  "  but  think 
what  a  place  that  would  be  for  cattle,  and  for  hay. 
Farming  would  be  something  worth  talking  about ;  and 
Billy  says  that  the  farmers  in  the  valley  can  have  a 
good  market  in  Rosita  for  all  they  can  raise.  There 
are  nearly  a  thousand  miners  there ;  and  it  is  also  only 
a  day's  journey  from  Pueblo,  which  is  quite  a  city.  It 
really  looks  to  me  like  the  most  promising  place  I've 
heard  any  thing  about  here.'.' 

"  It's  the  nicest  bit  of  country  there  is  anywhere  in 
Colorado,"  said  Billy,  "  's  fur's  I've  seen  it.  Them 
mountains 's  jest  a  picture  to  look  at  all  the  time;  'n' 
there's  a  creek,  —  Grape  Creek,  they  call  it,  because  it's 
just  lined  with  wild  grape-vines,  for  miles,  —  runs 
through  the  valley;  'n'  lots  o'  little  creeks  coming  down 
out  o*  the  mountains,  'n'  empties  into't.  I  wouldn't 


154  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

ask  nothin'  more  o'  the  Lord  than  that  He'd  give  me  a 
little  farm  down  in  Wet  Mountain  Valley  for  the  rest 
o '  my  life.  I  know  that. ' ' 

11  Do  you  think  there  are  any  farms  there  that  could 
be  bought?  "  asked  Mr.  March,  anxiously.  "  I  should 
think  such  desirable  lands  would  be  all  taken  up/' 

"  Well,  they're  changin'  round  there  a  good  deal/' 
said  Billy.  "  Ye  wouldn't  think  it;  but  men  they 
git  discontented  a  hearing  so  much  talk  about  silver. 
They're  always  a  hoping  to  get  hold  on  a  mine  'n'  make 
a  big  fortin  all  in  a  minnit;  but  I  hain't  seen  so  many 
of  these  big  fortins  made  off  minin'  'n  this  country. 
For  one  man  thet's  made  his  fortin,  I've  known  twenty 
that's  lost  it.  Now  I  think  on't  I  did  hear,  last  spring, 
that  Wilson  he  wanted  to  sell  out;  'n'  if  you  could  get 
his  farm,  you'd  jest  be  fixed  first  rate.  There's  the  best 
spring  o'  water  on  his  place  there  is  in  all  the  valley; 
and  it  ain't  more'n  four  miles  'n'  a  half  from  his  place 
up  into  Rosita :  ye'd  walk  it  easy." 

Mr.  March  looked  at  his  wife.  Her  face  was  full  of 
excitement  and  pleasure. 

"  It  sounds  perfectly  delightful,  Robert,"  she  said; 
11  but  you  know  we  thought  just  so  about  this  Pass. 
The  pictures  were  so  beautiful,  and  all  they  told  us 
sounded  attractive." 

Billy  made  a  scornful  sound  almost  like  a  snort. 

' '  H  'm !  "he  said,  ' l  anybody  that  recommended  ye  to 
settle  this  low  down  in  the  Ute  Pass  for  stock-raisin' 
or  f armin '  must  ha '  been  either  a  knave  or  a  fool :  that 's 
certain." 

"  A  knave,  I  think,"  said  Mrs.  March.  "  He  tried 
very  hard  to  sell  us  the  whole  place. ' ' 

"  I'll  be  bound  he  did,"  sneered  Billy;  "  cheap 
enough  he'll  sell  it,  too,  afore  ever  he  gets  anybody  to 
buy." 

"  Say,  mister,"  he  continued,  "  you  jest  come  along 


A    HUNT   FOR   A    SILVER   MINE          155 

with  me  to-morrow:  I'd  like  to  take  a  run  down  to 
Rosita,  first  rate ;  'n '  I  Ve  got  to  lay  by  a  few  days  any- 
how. I'll  get  this  load  o'  ore  board  the  cars  at  the 
Springs,  'n'  then  I'll  jest  quit  work  for  a  week;  'n'  I'll 
go  down  with  yer  to  Rosita.  There's  somebody  there 
I'm  wan  tin'  to  see  putty  bad."  And  Billy's  burnt  face 
grew  a  shade  or  two  deeper  red. 

"  Ah,  Billy,  is  that  it?  "  said  Mr.  March. 

"  "Well,  yes,  sir.  We're  a  calculatin'  to  be  married 
one  o*  these  days's  soon's  I  get  a  little  ahead.  It's 
slow  work,  though,  layin'  up  money  teamin',  'n'  I  won't 
take  her  out  of  a  good  home  till  I  can  give  her  one  o' 
her  own's  good.  Her  father  he's  foreman  'n  one  o'  the 
mines  there;  'n'  he's  always  been  a  real  forehanded 
man.  She's  well  off:  she's  got  no  occasion  to  marry 
anybody  to  be  took  care  of."  And  Billy  smiled  com- 
placently at  the  thought  that  it  must  have  been  for  pure 
love  that  the  Rosita  young  lady  had  promised  to  marry 
him. 

"  Sarah,  what  do  you  think  of  my  going?  "  said  Mr. 
March. 

"  Go,  by  all  means!  "  said  Mrs.  March.  "  The  little 
journey  will  do  you  good,  even  if  nothing  comes  of 
it.  We  need  not  say  any  thing  about  the  reason 
for  your  going,  till  you  get  back.  If  you  decide 
to  move  down  there,  that  will  be  time  enough  to  ex- 
plain." 

"  And  Mrs.  Plummer  will  say  that  it  was  all  '  provi- 
dential,' "  laughed  Mr.  March. 

"  And  so  shall  I,  Robert,"  said  Mrs.  March,  very 
earnestly. 

The  next  morning  Mr.  March  and  Long  Billy  set  off 
together  at  seven  o'clock.  It  was  the  first  time  Mrs. 
March  had  been  separated  from  her  husband  in  this 
new  country,  and  she  dreaded  it. 

"  Good-by!    good-by!  "  called  the  children,  in  their 


156  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

night-gowns,  at  the  bedroom  window;  "  good-by, 
papa." 

11  Good-by!  "  said  the  Deacon;  "  reckon  your  bones '11 
ache  some,  before  ye  get  to  the  Springs,  a  ridin'  that 
wheeler."  Mr.  March  was  riding  the  near  wheeler,  and 
Long  Billy  was  walking  by  his  side. 

"  Not  if  he  don't  walk  any  faster  than  this,"  said  Mr. 
March.  "  And  I  shall  walk  half  of  the  time." 

"  Ye  needn't  walk  a  step  if  ye'd  rather  ride,"  said 
Billy.  "I'm  all  right  this  mornin'.  'Tain't  only  about 
ten  miles  down  to  Colorado  Springs.  I  don't  think 
nothin'  o'  walkin*  that  fur,  especially  when  I've  got 
company  to  talk  to.  Mules  is  dreadful  tiresome  critters. 
Now  a  hoss's  real  good  company;  but  a  mule  ain't  no 
company  't  all." 


CHAPTER   VIII 

THE  MARCHES  LEAVE  GARLAND'S 

IT  was  on  a  Wednesday  morning  that  Mr.  March  and 
Long  Billy  set  out  for  Rosita.  The  next  week,  on 
Thursday  evening,  just  at  sunset,  Mrs.  March  heard  the 
sound  of  wheels,  and,  looking  up,  saw  a  white-topped 
wagon,  drawn  by  two  mules,  coming  up  the  road.  In 
the  next  instant,  she  saw  Rob  and  Nelly  running,  jump- 
ing, and  clapping  their  hands,  and  trying  to  climb  up 
into  the  wagon. 

1 '  Why,  that  must  be  Mr.  March, ' '  she  exclaimed,  and 
ran  out  of  the  door. 

"  Why,  that's  queer,"  said  the  Deacon,  following 
slowly;  il  he  said  he'd  write  the  day  before  he  was 
a-comin ' ;  and  we  were  to  go  down  'n '  meet  him  at  the 
Springs. ' ' 

"  And  if  he  hasn't  brought  that  long-geared  fellow 
back  with  him,  I  declare !  ' '  continued  the  Deacon,  as  he 
walked  on:  "  I'd  like  to  know  what's  up  now." 

Mrs.  March  had  already  reached  the  wagon,  and  was 
welcoming  her  husband.  Long  Billy  interrupted  her 
greetings. 

"  Well,  mum,"  he  said,  "  I  s'pose  you're  surprised 
to  see  me  back  agin.  But  me  'n'  him  "  —nodding  to 
Mr.  March  —  "  's  struck  up  a  kind  o'  'liance,  an'  I'm 
to  your  service  now:  me  'n'  my  mules." 

"  I  know  what  that  means,"  thought  Mrs.  March: 


158  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

11  we're  going  to  move  down  to  that  valley,  post  haste." 
But  all  she  said  was :  — 

' '  Very  well,  Billy ;  I  'm  glad  to  see  you.  Mr.  March 's 
friends  are  always  mine." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  that  Long  Legs, 
Parson  ?  ' '  said  Deacon  Plummer,  as  soon  as  he  found  a 
chance  to  speak  to  Mr.  March  alone;  "  seems  to  me 
we  haven 't  got  work  for  another  hand :  have  we  ?  ' ' 

' '  Not  on  this  farm :  that 's  a  clear  case,  Deacon, ' ' 
replied  Mr.  March;  "  but  it's  too  long  a  story  to  enter 
on  now.  After  supper  I'll  tell  you  my  plans." 

The  Deacon  took  out  his  red  silk  handkerchief,  and 
rubbed  his  forehead. 

"Oh,  Lord!"  said  he  to  himself;  "what's  that 
blessed  man  been  and  done  now?  He  ain't  noways  fit 
to  go  off  by  himself.  I'll  bet  he's  been  took  in  worse 
'n  ever." 

After  supper  Mr.  March  told  his  story.  He  had 
bought  a  farm  in  the  Wet  Mountain  Valley,  and  he  pro- 
posed that  they  should  all  move  down  there  immediately. 
The  place  had  more  than  equalled  all  Long  Billy's  de- 
scriptions of  it;  and  Mr.  March's  enthusiasm  was  un- 
bounded. Deacon  Plummer  listened  to  all  his  state- 
ments with  a  perplexed  and  incredulous  face. 

"  Did  you  see  that  medder  grass's  high's  a  man's 
knee?  "  he  asked. 

"  Waded  in  it,  Deacon,"  replied  Mr.  March;  "  but 
that  isn't  all:  I've  got  a  wisp  of  it  in  my  pocket." 

Long  Billy  chuckled,  as  Mr.  March  drew  the  crumpled 
green  wisp  out  of  his  pocket,  and  handed  it  to  the 
Deacon. 

"  'Twas  I  put  him  up  to  bringin'  that,"  said  Billy. 
"  Sez  I,  '  there  ain't  nothin'  so  good  for  folks's  seein' 
with  their  own  eyes.'  I  kind  o'  misgave  that  the  old 
man  wouldn't  be  for  believin'  it  all." 

The  Deacon  unfolded  the  grass ;  back  and  forth,  back 


THE  MARCHES  LEAVE   GARLAND'S       159 

and  forth,  he  bent  it,  and  straightened  it  out  across  his 
knees.  He  looked  at  it  in  silence  for  a  minute;  then 
he  said :  — 

"  Well,  that  beats  me !    Acres  like  this,  you  say?  " 

"  Miles,  Deacon,"  said  Mr.  March. 

"  Miles  V  miles,"  said  Billy;  "  's  fur's  you  can  see 
it  wavin '  in  the  wind ;  't  looks  like  wheat,  only  puttier. 
P'raps  you'd  better  show  him  the  wheat  now?  " 

Mr.  March  pulled  out  of  his  other  pocket  a  similar 
wisp  of  wheat,  and  handed  it  to  the  Deacon.  This  he 
straightened  out,  as  he  had  the  grass,  across  his  knees, 
and  looked  at  it  in  silence  for  a  moment ;  then  he  tasted 
the  kernel;  then  he  rolled  up  both  wheat  and  grass 
together,  and  handed  them  back  to  Mr.  March,  say- 
ing: 

"  IVe  got  nothin'  more  to  say.    Seein'  's  believinV 

Long  Billy  nodded  his  head  triumphantly,  and  winked 
at  Mr.  March. 

"  But,"  continued  the  Deacon,  "  for  all  that  I  don't 
feel  it  clear  in  my  mind  about  our  goin'.  'Twouldn't 
make  any  difference  to  ye,  Parson,  anyway,  if  Elizy  'n' 
I  didn't  go;  would  it?  " 

Mr.  March  was  much  surprised. 

' '  Why,  Deacon !  "  he  said,  ' '  we  should  be  very  sorry 
to  have  you  separate  from  us.  You  surely  can't  stay 
on  in  this  place !  ' ' 

"Oh,  no!"  replied  the  Deacon;  "we  hain't  the 
least  idea  o'  that.  The  fact  is,  I  expect  we  ought  to  go 
home:  Elizy 's  so  poorly.  We've  been  thinkin'  on't 
for  some  time.  But  we  was  so  kind  o'  settled  here,  and 
all  so  home-like,  we  hated  to  stir.  But  if  you're  goin' 
to  break  up,  and  go  to  a  new  place,  I  expect  we'd  bet- 
ter take  that  time  to  go  home." 

This  was  not  wholly  a  surprise  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  March, 
for  they  had  themselves  felt  that  old  Mrs.  Plummer 
would  after  all  be  better  off  in  her  comfortable  home 


160  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

in  Mayfield.  They  saw  that  she  was  growing  slowly 
more  feeble :  the  climate  did  not  suit  her. 

"  I  reckon  we're  kind  o'  old  for  this  country,"  said 
the  Deacon.  "  It  don't  seem  to  me's  I  feel  quite  so 
fust-rate's  I  did  at  home.  Trees  gets  too  old  to  trans- 
plant after  a  while." 

11  That's  so!  that's  so!"  exclaimed  Billy.  "  I've 
never  yet  seen  the  fust  time,  old  folks  adoin'  well  here. 
The  air's  too  bracin'  for  'em.  They  can't  get  used 
to  it,  —  no  offence  to  you,  sir, ' '  -  looking  at  Deacon 
Plummer. 

11  Oh,  no  offence,  —  no  offence  at  all,"  replied  the 
Deacon.  "  I  don't  make  any  bones  about  ownin'  that 
I'm  old.  Me  'n'  my  wife's  both  seen  our  best  days; 
V  I  reckon  we're  best  off  at  home.  I  think  we'd  bet- 
ter go,  Parson.  We're  mighty  sorry  to  leave  you;  but 
when  you  move  south,  we'll  start  the  other  way  towards 
home.  Ain't  that  so,  Elizy?  9>  Mrs.  Plummer  had  been 
rocking  violently  for  the  last  few  minutes,  with  her  face 
buried  in  her  handkerchief. 

11  Yes,"  she  sobbed,  "  I  expect  so.  It's  just  provi- 
dential, the  hull  on't." 

"  Dear  Mrs.  Plummer,  do  not  cry  so!  "  exclaimed 
Mrs.  March.  "  We  have  had  a  very  pleasant  time. 
It  is  only  a  few  months;  and  when  you  get  home,  it 
will  only  seem  as  if  you  had  taken  a  six  months'  jour- 
ney. I  really  think  you  will  be  better  in  Mayfield  than 
here." 

"  Oh,  I've  no  doubt  on't,"  said  Mrs.  Plummer,  still 
crying  in  her  handkerchief;  "  but  I  thought  we  was 
a  goin'  to  live  with  you  all  the  rest  o'  our  lives.  It's 
a  awful  disappointment  to  me.  But  it's  all  providential. 
It's  a  comfort  to  know  that." 

When  Zeb  heard  the  news  that  the  family  would 
break  up  in  a  few  days,  —  the  Marches  to  move  down 
to  Wet  Mountain  Valley,  and  the  Plummers  to  go  back 


TEE   MARCHES   LEAVE    GARLAND'S     161 

to  Massachusetts,  —  he  was  very  sorry.  He  turned  on 
his  heel  without  saying  a  word,  and  went  into  the  barn. 

"  Just  your  luck,  Abe  Mack!  "  he  said,  under  his 
breath;  "  you  don't  no  sooner  get  used  to  a  place  'n' 
to  folks,  'n'  feel  real  contented,  than  somethin'  happens 
to  tip  ye  out.  Ye 're  born  onlucky;  I  reckon  there's 
no  use  fightin'.  They're  so  took  up  with  this  long- 
legged  spindle  of  a  mule-driver  I  expect  they  won't 
want  me;  'n'  I  don't  want  to  go  down  into  no  minin* 
country,  nuther, —  'tain't  safe.  I'll  see  if  the  old  man 
won't  take  me  back  to  the  States.  I've  got  enough  to 
pay  my  way,  if  he'll  give  me  work  after  I  get  there, 
and  I  reckon  I'd  be  safe  from  any  o'  them  Georgetown 
fellers  in  Massachusetts." 

The  Deacon  was  very  glad  to  take  Zeb  back  with  him. 
He  had  learned'  to  like  the  man,  and  he  needed  such 
a  hand  on  his  farm. 

And  so  it  was  all  settled,  and  everybody  went  to 
work  as  hard  as  possible  to  get  ready  for  the  move. 
Nelly  and  Rob  hardly  knew  whether  to  be  glad  or  sorry. 
They  loved  the  hills  so  much,  they  were  afraid  they 
would  not  love  the  valley  so  well.  Yet  their  heads  were 
nearly  turned  by  Long  Billy's  stories  of  the  wonderful 
mines  in  Rosita;  of  the  machinery  in  the  stamp-mill 
where  they  crushed  the  ore  and  got  the  silver  out ;  of 
the  delicious  wild  grapes  on  Grape  Creek;  and  the 
trout,  and  the  flowers  on  the  hills. 

"  Yer  hain't  ever  seen  any  flowers  yet,"  said  Billy, 
when  Nelly  tried  to  tell  him  how  many  flowers  grew  in 
the  Pass;  "  ye  jest  wait  till  I  take  ye  up  on  Pine's 
ranch,  some  Sunday.  I'll  show  ye  flowers  then:  sixty 
odd  kinds  in  one  field,  —  yes,  sure !  I  counted  'em ; 
and  old  Pine  he  counted  'em  too.  And  he  sent  'em  off 
by  express  once,  some  of  each  kind,  to  the  folks  at  Wash- 
ington. You'll  see!  " 

Just  three  weeks  from  the  day  Long  Billy  first  drove 


162  BELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

into  the  shadow  of  the  old  saw-mill  to  camp,  the  March 
and  Plummer  family  set  out  on  their  journeys:  Fox 
and  Pumpkinseed  drawing  one  big  white-topped  wagon, 
in  which  were  Mrs.  March,  Deacon  and  Mrs.  Plummer, 
Nelly  and  Rob.  Billy's  two  mules  drew  the  other  big 
wagon,  which  was  loaded  down  very  heavily  with  the 
furniture  Mr.  March  had  bought.  Mr.  March  drove 
this ;  and  Billy,  mounted  on  a  new  horse  which  he  had 
bought,  was  driving  all  the  cattle  before  him.  Zeb  sat 
by  Mr.  March's  side  in  the  mule  wagon.  He  and  Dea- 
con and  Mrs.  Plummer  were  to  take  the  cars  at  Colorado 
Springs,  and  go  to  Denver.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  had 
begged  them  to  come  down  with  them  into  Wet  Moun- 
tain Valley,  and  make  a  visit.  But  the  Deacon  said 
"No." 

"  The  fact  is,"  he  said,  "  I  may's  well  own  it:  now 
that  we  're  really  started  for  home,  we  're  dreadful  home- 
sick. I  didn't  know's  I  had  felt  it  so  much.  Can't 
transplant  old  trees,  Parson,  no  use!  It's  a  good  coun- 
try for  young  folks,  —  a  good  country ;  I  shall  tell  the 
boys  about  it.  But  give  me  old  Massachusetts.  I  just 
hanker  after  a  sight  o'  the  old  buryin '-ground,  'n'  that 
black  elder-bush  in  the  corner  on't." 

When  they  parted  at  the  little  railroad  station  in 
Colorado  Springs,  Mrs.  Plummer  broke  down  and  cried. 
Nelly  cried  a  little  too,  from  sympathy ;  and  even  Watch 
whined,  seeing  that  something  unusual  and  uncomfort- 
able was  going  on.  Luckily,  however,  good-bys  at 
railway  stations  always  are  cut  short.  The  engine-bell 
rings,  and  the  cars  move  off,  and  that  puts  an  end  to 
the  last  words.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  were  sorry  to  part 
from  these  good  old  people ;  and  yet,  if  the  whole  truth 
were  told,  it  must  be  owned  that  they  felt  a  sense  of 
relief  when  they  were  gone.  They  had  felt,  all  the 
while,  a  responsibility  for  their  comfort,  and  a  fear  lest 
they  should  be  taken  ill,  which  had  been  burdensome. 


THE  MARCHES   LEAVE   GARLAND'S       163 

1 '  We  shall  miss  them :  shan  't  we  ?  "  said  Mrs.  March, 
as  the  train  moved  off. 

"  Yes,"  said  Nelly;  "I'm  real  sorry  they're  gone. 
Hike  Zeb  too." 

' '  We  '11  miss  the  crullers, ' '  said  Bob.  ' 1  Say,  mamma, 
didn  't  she  show  you  how  to  make  'em  ?  ' ' 

"  Rob,"  said  his  father,  "  you  ought  to  be  a  Chi- 
nese." 

"  Why?  "  asked  Rob. 

"  Because  they  think  the  seat  of  all  life  is  in  the 
stomach ;  and  they  give  great  honor  to  people  with  very 
big  stomachs,"  answered  his  father. 

Rob  did  not  know  whether  his  father  were  laughing 
at  him  or  not.  He  suspected  he  might  be. 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean,  papa,"  he  said: 
"  you  like  crullers,  anyhow." 

"Fair  hit,  Rob!"  said  Mrs.  March.  "Fair  hit, 
papa!  " 

The  journey  to  Rosita  took  six  days :  they  had  to  go 
very  slowly  on  account  of  the  cattle.  The  weather  was 
perfect;  and  every  night  they  slept  on  the  ground,  in 
a  tent  which  Mr.  March  had  bought  in  Colorado  Springs. 
Rob  rode  on  Pumpkinseed's  back  a  good  part  of  the 
way,  like  a  little  postilion.  Before  the  end  of  the  jour- 
ney, they  were  all  so  burnt  by  the  sun  that  they  looked, 
Mrs.  March  said,  "  a  great  deal  more  like  Indians  than 
like  white  people. ' '  They  drove  into  Rosita  just  at  sun- 
set. I  wish  I  could  tell  you  how  beautiful  the  whole 
place  looked  to  them.  You  go  down  a  steep  hill,  just 
as  you  come  into  the  town  of  Rosita.  On  the  top  of 
this  hill,  Mr.  March  called  out  to  his  wife  to  stop.  She 
was  driving  Fox  and  Pumpkinseed ;  and  he  was  follow- 
ing behind  with  the  mules.  He  jumped  out,  and  came 
up  to  the  side  of  her  wagon. 

"  There,  Sarah!  "  he  said,  "  did  you  ever  see  any 
thing  in  your  life  so  beautiful  as  this?  " 


164  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

Mrs.  March  did  not  speak;  both  she  and  Nelly  and 
even  Rob  were  struck  dumb  by  the  beauty  of  the  pic- 
ture. They  looked  right  down  into  the  little  village. 
It  was  cuddled  in  the  ravine  as  if  it  had  gone  to  sleep 
there.  The  sides  of  the  hills  were  dotted  with  pine- 
trees  ;  and  most  of  the  little  houses  were  built  of  bright 
yellow  pine  boards :  they  shone  in  the  sun.  Just  be- 
yond the  village  they  could  see  a  bit  of  a  most  beautiful 
green  valley;  and,  beyond  that,  great  high  mountains, 
half  covered  with  snow. 

"  That  is  the  valley,"  said  Mr.  March:  ll  that  bit  of 
bright  green,  way  down  there  to  the  west." 

Nelly  was  the  first  to  speak. 

11  Papa,"  said  she,  "  it  looks  just  like  a  beautiful 
green  bottom  to  a  deep  well :  doesn  't  it  ?  ' : 

11  Yes,  this  little  bit  that  you  see  of  it  from  here, 
does, ' '  said  Mr.  March ;  ' '  but,  after  you  get  into  it,  it 
doesn't  look  so.  It  is  thirty  miles  long;  and  so  level, 
you  would  think  you  were  on  the  plains.  And  oh,  Nell ! 
you  can  see  your  dear  Pike's  Peak  grandly  there!  It 
looks  twice  as  high  here  as  it  does  from  any  place  I 
have  seen  it." 

"  Oh,  I'm  so  glad!  "  said  Nelly. 

Still,  Mrs.  March  did  not  speak.  Her  husband  turned 
to  her  at  last,  anxiously,  and  said :  — 

"  Don't  you  like  it,  Sarah?  " 

"Oh,  Robert!"  she  said,  "it  is  so  beautiful  it 
doesn't  look  to  me  like  a  real  place.  It  looks  like  a 
painted  picture!  " 

"That'll  do!  that'll  do!  "  laughed  Mr.  March; 
"I'm  satisfied.  Now  we'll  go  down  the  hill." 

Rob  nudged  Nelly.  They  were  on  the  back  seat  of 
the  wagon. 

"  Nell,"  he  whispered,  "  did  you  ever  see  any  thing 
like  it  1  I  see  lots  of  silver  mines  all  round  on  the  hills. 
Billy  told  me  how  they  looked.  Those  piles  of  stones 


THE   MARCHES   LEAVE   GARLAND'S       165 

are  all  on  top  of  mines;  that's  where  they  throw  out 
the  stones.  I'll  bet  we'll  find  a  mine." 

"Oh,"  said  Nelly,  "wouldn't  that  be  splendid! 
Let's  go  out  the  first  thing  to-morrow  morning." 

Mr.  March  had  planned  to  stay  in  Rosita  a  couple  of 
days,  before  going  down  to  his  farm  in  the  valley.  He 
wished  to  become  acquainted  with  some  of  the  Rosita 
tradesmen,  and  to  find  out  all  about  the  best  ways  of 
doing  things  in  this  new  life.  Long  Billy  proved  a  good 
helper  now.  Everybody  in  Rosita  knew  Long  Billy 
and  liked  him;  and,  when  he  said  to  his  friends,  con- 
fidentially :  — 

"  This  is  a  first-rate  feller  I've  hired  with:  he  does 
the  square  thing  by  everybody,  I  tell  you.  There's 
nothin'  narrer  about  him;  he's  the  least  like  a  parson 
of  any  parson  ye  ever  see,"  -they  accepted  Billy's 
word  for  it  all,  and  met  Mr.  March  with  a  friendliness 
which  would  not  usually  have  been  shown  to  a  new- 
comer. 

The  next  morning  after  they  reached  Rosita,  Long 
Billy  proposed  to  take  Mr.  March  out  and  introduce 
him  to  some  of  the  people  he  knew.  When  Mr.  March 
came  downstairs,  he  was  dressed  in  a  good  suit  of  black, 
and  wore  a  white  collar:  on  the  journey,  he  had  worn 
his  rough  working-clothes,  and  a  flannel  shirt.  Long 
Billy  looked  him  up  and  down,  from  head  to  foot,  with 
an  expression  of  great  dissatisfaction;  but  did  not  say 
any  thing.  Then  he  walked  out  on  the  piazza  of  the 
hotel,  and  stood  still  for  some  minutes,  in  deep  thought. 
Then  he  said  to  himself :  — 

"  Hang  it  all!  I'll  have  to  speak  to  him.  What'd 
he  want  to  go  'n'  spruce  hisself  all  up  like  that 
for?  'T'll  jest  ruin  him  in  this  town,  oncet  for  all! 
I'll  have  to  speak  to  him.  I'd  rather  be  scotch- 
wollopped." 

What  scotch-wollopped  means  I  do  not  know:   but  it 


166  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

was  a  favorite  expression  of  Long  Billy's.  So  he  walked 
back  into  the  hotel,  and  beckoned  Mr.  March  out  on 
the  piazza. 

"  Look  here,  Parson/'  he  said,  speaking  very  fast, 
and  looking  very  much  embarrassed,  —  which  was  an 
odd  thing  for  Billy,  —  "look  here,  Parson,  you  ain't 
goin'  to  preach  to-day,  be  yer?  " 

"  Why,  no,  Billy,"  said  Mr.  March;  "  why  did  you 
ask?  " 

"  Ain't  these  yer  preachin'  clo'es?  "  replied  Billy, 
pointing  to  the  black  coat. 

Mr.  March  laughed. 

"  Why,  yes,  I  have  preached  in  them,  Billy;  but  I 
do  not  expect  ever  to  again.  I  must  wear  them  out, 
though." 

"  Not  in  these  parts,  Parson,"  said  Billy,  solemnly, 
shaking  his  head.  "  Yer  don't  know  minin'  towns  so 
well's  I  do.  Ef  I  was  to  take  you  down  town  in  that 
rig,  there  wouldn't  one  o'  the  fellers  open  his  head  to 
yer.  They'd  shet  up  jest  like  snappin'  turtles.  Ye 
jest  go  upstairs  'n'  put  on  the  clo'es  ye  allers  wears: 
won't  ye?  "  said  Billy,  almost  pleadingly. 

"  Why,  certainly,  Billy,  if  you  really  think  it  would 
make  any  difference  about  my  making  friends  with  the 
people.  I  don't  want  to  offend  anybody.  These  are 
pretty  old  clothes,  though,  Billy,  if  they  only  knew  it. 
It  was  to  save  my  others  that  I  put  them  on.  But  I'll 
change  them,  if  you  say  so."  And  Mr.  March  ran  up- 
stairs much  amused.  When  he  came  down  in  his  rough 
suit  and  his  blue  flannel  shirt,  Billy  smiled  with  pleas- 
ure. 

"  There,"  he  said,  "  you  look  like  a  man  in  them 
clo'es,  Parson.  Excuse  my  bein'  so  free;  but  I  allers 
did  think  that  the  parsons'  clo'es  had  a  good  deal  to 
do  with  fellers  despisin'  'em's  they  do.  They  allers 
call  'em  '  Tender-feet.'  " 


THE  MARCHES   LEAVE   GARLAND'S       167 

11  Tender-feet!  "  exclaimed  Mr.  March;  "  what  does 
that  mean,  Billy?  " 

Billy  did  not  answer  immediately.  He  was  puzzled 
to  think  of  any  definition  of  "  Tender-feet." 

"  Well,"  he  said  at  last,  "  don 'no'  as  I  can  say  ex- 
actly what  it  does  mean;  but  'tain't  because  I  don't 
know.  Any  feller  that's  over-particular  about  his 
clo'es,  'n'  his  way  o'  livin',  'n'  can't  rough  it  like  the 
generality  o'  folks  in  Colorado,  gets  called  a  '  Tender- 
foot M  Lord,  I'd  rather  be  called  a  thief,  any  day!  >! 

Mr.  March  laughed  heartily. 

"  I  see !  I  see !  "  he  said.  ' '  Well  now,  Billy,  you 
don't  think  there 'd  be  any  danger  of  my  ever  being 
called  a  '  Tender-foot:  '  do  you?  " 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,  Parson,"  said  Billy,  emphatically, 
"  when  a  feller  came  to  live  with  yer;  but  to  see  yer 
jest  a  walkin'  round  in  them  black  clo'es  o'  yourn,  you'd 
get  took  for  one.  Yer  would:  that's  a  fact.  I  should 
take  yer  for  one  myself.  Yer  may's  well  give  that  suit 
up,  oncet  for  all,  Parson,  for  this  country,  I  tell  ye," 
added  Billy,  thinking  he  would  make  sure  that  the  dan- 
ger did  not  occur  again.  "  Thet  is,"  he  continued, 
"  except  Sundays.  I  don't  suppose  'twould  do  ye  any 
harm  to  be  seen  in  it  Sundays,  or  to  a  dance." 

"  I  don't  go  to  dances,  Billy,"  said  Mr.  March;  "  per- 
haps I'll  give  the  suit  away:  that'll  save  all  trouble." 

As  they  left  the  hotel,  they  saw  Rob  and  Nelly  walk- 
ing hand  in  hand  up  the  steep  road  down  which  they 
had  come  the  night  before,  entering  the  village. 

' '  Where  can  the  children  be  going  ?  ' '  said  Mr.  March. 
"  Rob !  Nelly !  "  he  called.  They  both  turned  and  said : 

' '  What,  papa  ?  ' '  but  did  not  come  towards  him. 

1  i  Where  are  you  going  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Oh,  only  a  little  way  up  this  road,"  replied  Rob. 

"  Don't  you  want  to  come  with  me?  "  said  Mr.  March. 

The  children  hesitated. 


168  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

"  Do  you  want  us,  papa?  "  said  Nelly. 

"  Why,  no,  certainly  not,"  replied  Mr.  March,  "  un- 
less you  want  to  come.  I  thought  you  would  like  to 
see  the  town :  that 's  all. ' ' 

"  We'd  rather  go  up  on  the  hill,  papa,"  said  Rob. 
"  Mamma  said  we  might,  if  we  wouldn't  go  out  of  sight 
of  the  hotel.  Good-by!  " 

"  Good-by,  papa!  "  called  Nelly.  And  they  both 
trudged  off  with  a  most  business-like  air. 

Long  Billy  laughed. 

"  Them  youngsters  got  silver  on  the  brain,"  he  said. 
"  Thet's  what's  the  matter  with  them.  I've  seen  plenty 
o'  grown  folks  jest  the  same  way  in  this  country:  a 
walkin',  walkin'  by  the  month  to  a  time,  a  pokin'  into 
every  hole,  'n'  a  hammerin'  every  stone,  —  jest  wild 
after  gold  'n'  silver.  There's  plenty  on  'em's  jest 
wasted  time  enough  on't  to  ha'  made  a  considerable 
money,  if  they'd  stuck  to  some  kind  o'  regular  work. 
That  little  chap  o'  yourn,  he's  a  driver;  he  hain't  never 
let  go  the  idee  of  findin'  a  silver  mine,  sence  the  day 
they  hauled  all  them  mica  stuns  down,  back  there 'n  the 
Pass.  They're  a  rare  couple,  he  'n'  Nelly:  they  are." 

11  Yes,  they  are  good  children,"  said  Mr.  March: 
"  good  children;  but  I  don't  want  them  to  get  pos- 
sessed with  this  desire  for  money."  And  he  looked 
anxiously  up  the  hill,  where  he  could  see  Rob  and  Nelly 
striking  off  from  the  road,  and  picking  their  way  across 
the  rough  ground  towards  a  great  pile  of  gray  ore, 
which  had  been  thrown  out  of  one  of  the  mines. 

Long  Billy  also  looked  up  at  them. 

"  The  little  sarpents!  "  he  said.  "  They're  a  makin' 
for  the  Pocahontas  mine,  straight.  Rob,  he  was  a  askin' 
me  all  about  the  piles  o'  ore  'n'  the  engines  in  the  mines, 
yesterday. ' ' 

"  Is  there  any  danger  of  their  being  hurt?  "  said 
Mr.  March. 


THE   MARCHES   LEAVE   GARLAND'S     169 

"  Oh,  no!  I  reckon  not.  That  Nelly,  she's  jest  the 
same's  a  grown  woman.  I  allers  notice  her  a  holdin' 
the  little  feller  back.  She  won't  go  into  any  resky 
places  no  more'n  her  ma  would.  She's  got  a  heap  o' 
sense,  that  little  gal  has." 

While  Mr.  March  and  the  children  were  away,  Mrs. 
March  sat  at  the  west  window  of  her  room,  looking  off 
into  the  beautiful  valley.  I  wish  I  could  make  you  see 
just  how  it  looked  from  her  window;  however,  no  pic- 
ture can  show  it,  and  I  suppose  no  words  can  tell  it; 
but  if  you  really  want  to  try  to  imagine  how  it  looked 
just  ask  somebody  who  is  with  you  while  you  are  read- 
ing this  page,  to  explain  to  you  how  high  a  thousand 
feet  would  seem  to  you.  If  you  can  see  the  spire  of 
the  church,  and  can  know  just  how  hi^h  that  is,  that 
will  help  you  get  an  idea  of  a  thousand  feet.  Then  you 
can  imagine  that  you  are  looking  off  between  two  high 
hills,  right  down  into  a  bit  of  green  valley  one  thousand 
feet  lower  down  than  you  are.  Then  try  to  imagine 
that  this  bit  of  green  valley  looked  very  small;  and 
that,  beyond  it,  there  were  grand  high  mountains,  half 
covered  with  snow.  The  lower  half  of  the  mountains 
looked  blue:  on  a  sunny  day,  mountains  always  look 
blue  in  the  distance ;  and  the  upper  half  was  dazzling 
white.  This  is  the  best  I  can  do  towards  making  you 
see  the  picture  which  Mrs.  March  saw  as  she  sat  at  her 
western  window.  After  all,  I  think  Nelly's  sentence 
was  worth  more  than  all  mine,  when  she  said,  "  Oh, 
papa,  it  looks  like  a  beautiful  green  bottom  to  a  deep 
well."  The  picture  was  so  beautiful  that  Mrs.  March 
did  not  want  to  do  any  thins:  but  sit  and  look  at  it,  and 
when  her  husband  returned  from  his  walk  in  the  village, 
she  was  really  astonished  to  find  that  she  had  sat  at  the 
window  two  whole  hours  without  moving.  The  children 
did  not  come  home  until  noon.  Their  faces  were  red 
and  their  eyes  shone  with  excitement:  they  had  had  a 


170  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

fine  time;  they  had  rambled  on  from  one  mine  to  an- 
other on  the  hill ;  whenever  they  saw  a  pile  of  the  gray 
ore,  and  a  yellow  pine  building  near  it,  they  had  gone 
into  the  building  and  looked  into  the  shaft  down  which 
the  miners  went  into  the  ground.  They  had  found  kind 
men  everywhere  who  had  answered  all  their  ques- 
tions; and  Rob  had  both  his  pockets  full  of  pieces 
of  stone  with  beautiful  colors,  like  a  peacock's  neck. 
Kob  had  forgotten  the  name  of  the  stone:  so  had 
Nelly. 

"  It  sounded  something  like  prophets,"  said  Nelly, 
"  but  it  couldn't  have  been  that;  "  she  handed  a  bit  of 
the  stone  to  Long  Billy. 

"  Oh,"  said  he,  glancing  at  it  carelessly,  "  that's 
nothing  but  pyrites;  that's  no  account;  they'll  give 
you  all  you  want  of  that. ' ' 

"  I  don't  care:"  said  Rob,  "  it's  splendid.  I'm 
going  to  make  a  museum,  and  I  shall  have  the  shelves 
full  of  it.  But,  mamma,"  he  said  sadly,  "  there  isn't 
any  use  in  our  looking  for  a  mine.  When  I  told  one 
of  the  men  that  we  were  going  to  see  if  we  couldn't 
find  a  mine,  he  just  laughed,  and  he  said  that  every 
inch  of  the  ground  all  round  here  belonged  to  people 
that  thought  they'd  got  mines.  All  those  little  bits  of 
piles  of  stones,  with  just  a  stick  stuck  up  by  them, 
every  one  of  those  means  that  a  man's  been  digging 
there  to  find  silver;  and  they're  just  as  thick!  why, 
you  can't  go  ten  steps  without  coming  on  one!  They 
call  them  '  claims.'  ' 

1 '  That's  so,"  said  Long  Billy;  "  and  I'll  tell  ye 
what  I  call  'em.  I  call  'em  gravestones,  them  little 
sticks  stuck  up  on  stone  heaps:  that's  what  most  on 
'em  are,  graves  where  some  poor  feller's  buried  a  lot 
o'  hope  and  some  money." 

Nelly  turned  her  great  dark  eyes  full  on  Long  Billy 
when  he  said  this.  Her  face  grew  very  sad:  she  un- 


TEE   MARCHES   LEAVE    GARLAND'S      171 

derstood  exactly  what  he  meant.  Rob  did  not  under- 
stand. He  looked  only  puzzled. 

"  Graves!  "  exclaimed  he.  "  Why,  what  do  you  call 
them  graves  for,  Billy?  There  isn't  any  thing  buried 
in  them." 

Billy  looked  a  little  ashamed  of  his  speech :  he  did 
not  often  indulge  in  any  thing  so  much  like  a  flight  of 
fancy  as  this. 

"  Oh,  nothin'!  "  he  said.  "  That's  only  a  silly  way 
o'  puttin'  it." 

11  I  don't  think  so,  Billy,"  said  Nelly.  "  I  think  it's 
real  true.  Don't  you  know,  Rob,  how  awfully  you  and 
I  felt  when  we  thought  we'd  found  that  mine  up  in  the 
Pass,  and  it  turned  out  nothing  but  mica  ?  We  felt  just 
as  if  we'd  lost  something." 

"  I  didn't,"  said  Rob;  "  I  just  felt  mad;  and  it 
makes  me  feel  mad  now  to  think  of  it :  how  we  lugged 
those  heavy  old  stones  all  that  way.  I  wish  I'd  saved 
some  for  my  museum  though.  All  the  boys  here  have 
museums,  a  man  told  me,  and  perhaps  I  won't  find  any 
of  that  kind  of  stone  here." 

After  dinner,  they  all  drove  down  into  the  valley  to 
look  at  their  new  home.  The  road  wound  down  in  a 
zigzag  way  among  a  great  many  low  hills.  Sometimes 
for  quite  a  distance  among  these  hills,  you  cannot  see 
the  valley  at  all;  and  then  all  of  a  sudden  you  look 
right  out  into  it.  As  they  went  lower,  they  saw  more 
and  more  of  it,  until  at  last  they  reached  it  and  came 
out  on  the  level  ground,  where  they  could  look  up  and 
down  the  whole  length  of  the  valley.  Long  Billy  was 
driving  them:  when  they  reached  the  spot  where  the 
whole  valley  lay  in  full  view,  he  stopped  the  horses  and, 
turning:  round  to  Mrs.  March,  said :  — 

"  Well,  mum,  did  I  tell  the  truth  or  not?  " 

"  No,  Billy,  you  did  not,"  replied  Mrs.  March,  very 
gravely. 


172  NELLY'S    SILVER   MINE 

Billy  looked  surprised,  and  was  just  about  to  speak 
when  Mrs.  March  continued :  — 

11  You  did  not  tell  half  how  beautiful  it  is." 

"  Ah!  "  said  Billy.  "  Well,  that  kind  o'  lie  I  don't 
mind  bein'  charged  with." 

"  Oh,  papa!  let  me  get  out!  "  cried  Nelly.  "  I  want 
to  walk  in  this  grass.  Is  this  our  grass?  " 

The  road  was  winding  along  between  two  fields  of 
high  grass,  which  waved  in  the  wind.  As  it  waved, 
Nelly  saw  bright  red  and  blue  flowers  among  it;  some 
tall,  and  some  low  down  close  to  the  ground  as  if  they 
were  hiding. 

"  Yes,  this  is  where  our  land  begins,"  said  her  father; 
' '  this  is  our  own  grass :  but  I  don 't  want  you  to  run 
in  it;  we  must  mow  it  next  week." 

11  Oh,  let  us,  papa;  just  a  little  bit  —  close  to  the 
fence.  You  can  spare  a  little  bit  of  hay,"  pleaded 
Nelly;  '  'we'll  step  light." 

"  Do  let  them,  Robert,"  said  Mrs.  March.  "  I  should 
like  to  do  it  myself. ' ' 

"  Very  well:  keep  close  to  the  fence,  then,"  said 
Mr.  March,  and  reined  up  the  horses.  Rob  and  Nelly 
jumped  out,  and  had  clambered  over  the  fence  in  a 
second,  and  waded  into  the  grass.  It  was  nearly  up  to 
their  shoulders,  and  they  looked  very  pretty  moving 
about  in  it,  picking  the  flowers.  As  Mrs.  March  was 
watching  them,  she  suddenly  saw  a  brown  bird  with 
yellow  breast  fly  out  of  the  grass,  and  perch  on  one  of 
the  fence-posts. 

(<  Oh,  don't  stir,  children!  don't  stir!  "  she  cried: 
"  see  that  bird!  " 

Rob  and  Nelly  stood  perfectly  still.  And  what  do 
you  think  that  bird  did  ?  —  opened  his  mouth  and  sung 
the  most  exquisite  song  you  ever  heard.  The  canary 
bird's  song  is  not  half  so  sweet.  The  bird  was  not  ten 
steps  away  from  the  carriage  or  from  the  children :  there 


THE  MARCHES  LEAVE   GARLAND'S       173 

he  sat,  looking  first  at  one  and  then  at  the  other,  like 
a  tame  bird.  In  a  few  seconds  he  sang  again :  then  he 
spread  his  wings  and  flew  a  little  way  into  the  field,  and 
alighted  on  a  tall,  slender  grass  stalk,  and  there  he  sat, 
swinging  to  and  fro  on  the  grass,  and  sang  again ;  then 
he  flew  away.  Nobody  drew  a  long  breath  till  he  had 
gone. 

"  That's  a  lark,"  said  Billy;  "  this  country's  full  on 
'em;  they're  the  tamest  birds  for  a  wild  bird  I  ever 
see.  They'll  sing  to  ye  right  under  your  feet." 

"  "Well,  he's  a  glorious  chorister,"  said  Mr.  March. 

11  If  he's  a  chorister,  I'd  like  to  go  where  he  keeps 
his  choir,"  said  Rob.  "  I  mean  to  catch  one,  and  have 
him  to  sing  in  my  museum. ' ' 

"  Oh,  no,  Rob,"  said  Nelly;  "don't!  " 

* '  They  won 't  never  sing  in  cages, ' '  said  Billy.  "  I  Ve 
seen  it  tried  many  a  time.  They  jest  walk,  walk,  walk 
up  and  down,  up  and  down  in  the  cage  the  hull  time, 
and  beat  their  wings.  They  can't  stand  bein'  shut  up, 
for  all  they're  so  tame  actin'  while  they're  free." 

The  children  climbed  back  into  the  wagon  now,  with 
their  hands  full  of  flowers;  and  Billy  whipped  up  the 
horses. 

"  Git  up,  Pumpkinseed!  git  up,  Fox!  "  he  said: 
"  there's  a  crib  o'  corn  ahead  for  you." 

Very  soon  the  new  home  came  in  sight.  It  looked, 
when  they  first  saw  it,  as  if  it  were  half  buried  in  green 
grass;  but,  as  they  came  nearer,  they  saw  that  the  en- 
closure in  which  the  house  and  barns  stood  was  entirely 
bare  of  grass.  This  gave  it  a  naked  and  barren  look 
which  was  not  pleasing,  and  disappointed  Mrs.  March 
very  much.  However,  she  said  nothing;  only  thought 
to  herself,  "  I'll  have  green  grass  up  to  that  very  door- 
step, before  another  year's  out." 

The  house  was  very  much  like  the  one  they  had  lived 
in,  in  the  Ute  Pass,  except  that  it  was  larger ;  there  were 


174  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

three  log-cabin  barns,  two  of  which  were  very  large; 
and  a  queer-shaped  log-house,  bigger  at  the  top  than  at 
the  bottom,  standing  up  quite  a  distance  from  the 
ground,  on  posts.  This  was  for  wheat.  Then  there  were 
two  dog-houses,  and  a  great  place  built  round  with  pal- 
ings, to  keep  hens  in;  and  one  or  two  large  open  sheds 
where  wagons  and  carts  stood.  Billy  looked  round  on 
all  these  buildings  with  great  pride. 

"  I  declare,"  said  he,  "  there  ain't  such  a  ranch's 
this  in  all  the  valley.  What  a  dumb  fool  that  Wilson 
was  to  go  'n'  leave  it.  He's  put  all  he's  worth,  except 
this  farm,  into  a  mine  up  in  Central;  'n'  now  he'll  go 
'n'  put  the  money  for  this  in  too,  and's  like's  not  he'll 
never  see  a  dollar  on't  again 's  long's  he  lives.  This 
minin'  jest  crazes  folks." 

"  Did  ye  ever  see  a  puttier  farm'n  this,  mum?  "  he 
asked,  turning  to  Mrs.  March. 

Mrs.  March  could  not  say  that  she  had  not.  To  her 
eye,  accustomed  to  Massachusetts  green  yards,  shaded 
by  elms  and  maples,  this  little  group  of  rough  houses 
and  sheds,  standing  in  an  enclosure  with  hardly  a  green 
thing,  only  a  few  tufts  of  coarse  grass,  and  weeds  grow- 
ing around  it,  was  very  unsightly.  But  she  did  not 
want  to  say  this ;  so  she  said :  — 

"  It  is  much  the  nicest  place  I  have  seen  in  Colorado, 
Billy ;  and  this  valley  is  perfectly  beautiful.  But  where 
is  the  creek?  ': 

"  Right  there,  mum,  just  a  few  rods  beyond  that  fence 
to  the  west,  —  where  you  see  that  line  of  bushes. ' ' 

"  I  don't  see  any  water,"  said  Nelly. 

"  No,  you  can't  till  yer  come  right  on  it,"  said  Billy; 
"  'tain't  very  wide  here,  'n'  it  jest  slips  along  in  the 
bushes  's  if  it  was  tryin'  to  hide  itself." 

11  Papa,"  whispered  Nelly,  "  doesn't  Billy  say  queer 
things  about  things,  just  as  if  every  thing  was  alive,  and 
had  feelings  as  we  do?  I  like  it." 


THE   MARCHES   LEAVE    GARLAND'S     175 

Mr.  March  smiled,  and  took  Nelly's  hand  in  his. 

"  Girlie,"  he  said,  "  Billy's  a  little  of  a  poet,  in  his 
rough  way." 

' '  He  doesn  't  make  verses :  does  he  ?  "  asked  Nelly, 
reverentially.  To  make  verses  had  always  been  the 
height  of  Nelly's  ambition,  as  many  a  little  roll  of  scrib- 
bled paper  in  her  desk  would  show.  But  there  was  one 
great  trouble  with  Nelly's  verses  thus  far:  she  never 
could  find  any  words  that  rhymed;  and  now  to  hear 
Billy  called  a  poet  seemed  very  strange  to  her. 

' '  I  never  should  have  thought  he  could  make  verses, ' ' 
she  continued. 

' '  Oh !  making  verses  is  the  smallest  part  of  being  a 
poet,  Nelly,"  said  Mr.  March.  "  You  can't  understand 
that  yet;  but  you  will  some  day." 

Then  they  all  went  into  the  house,  and  looked  at  room 
after  room,  thinking  what  they  would  do  with  each.  The 
rooms  were  sunny  and  bright,  but  were  so  dirty  that 
Mrs.  March  groaned. 

"  Oh,  how  shall  we  ever  get  this  place  clean!  " 

"111  tell  you,"  said  Billy.  "  If  ye  don't  mind  the 
expense  o'  stayin'  at  the  hotel  a  week,  an'  if  yell  buy 
me  a  little  paint,  I'll  have  this  hull  place  so  ye  won't 
know  it,  in  a  week's  time.  There's  nothin'  I  can't  turn 
my  hand  to;  an'  I'd  like  to  fix  things  up  here  for  you, 
first  rate.  I  saw  up  't  the  other  place  about  how  you 
like  things." 

Billy  had  a  quick  eye  for  every  thing  that  was  pretty. 
He  had  never  seen  any  house  in  Colorado  which  was  so 
cosey  and  pretty  as  the  Marches '  house  in  the  Ute  Pass ; 
and  he  was  thinking  now  in  his  heart  how  he  would  like 
to  make  this  new  one  as  pretty  as  that. 

"  Mebbe  you  couldn't  trust  me,"  he  said,  seeing  that 
Mrs.  March  hesitated. 

11  Oh,  yes,  I  could,  Billy,"  she  replied;  "  I  have  no 
doubt  you  could  put  it  all  in  beautiful  order.  I  was 


176  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

thinking  whether  we  ought  to  stay  ' '  —  she  was  going 
to  say,  * '  stay  a  whole  week  at  the  hotel  ' '  —  but,  just  at 
that  minute,  there  came  piercing  shrieks  in  Rob 's  voice : 

"  Papa!   papa!   Billy!   come!   come!  " 

The  shrieks  came  from  the  direction  of  the  creek. 

"  Oh,  my  God!  he's  fallen  into  the  creek!  "  cried 
Mrs.  March,  as  she  tried  to  run  towards  the  spot.  Long 
Billy  dashed  past  her,  with  his  great  strides,  and  said, 
as  he  passed :  — 

* '  Don 't  be  skeered,  mum ;  in  the  mud,  most  likely. ' ' 

The  cries  came  feebler  and  feebler,  and  stopped  alto- 
gether, —  then  a  loud  burst  of  laughter  from  Billy, 
which  brought  the  life  back  to  Mrs.  March.  She  was 
clinging  to  the  fence,  nearly  senseless  with  terror ;  Nelly 
stood  close  by,  her  face  white,  and  tears  rolling  down 
her  cheeks:  when  they  heard  Billy's  laugh,  they  looked 
at  each  other  in  amazement  and  relief. 

"  He  can't  be  in  the  creek,  mamma,"  said  Nelly: 
"  Billy  wouldn't  laugh. " 

Then  they  heard  Mr.  March  laugh,  and  say :  — 

"  Hold  on,  Rob:  don't  be  frightened;  we'll  get  a 
rail." 

Then  Billy  came  striding  back  out  of  the  bushes,  still 
laughing.  When  he  saw  Mrs.  March's  and  Nelly's 
agonized  faces,  his  own  sobered  instantly. 

"  'Twas  too  bad,  mum,"  he  exclaimed,  "  to  give  ye 
such  a  skeer.  He 's  in  the  slough,  thet  's  all ;  he 's  putty 
well  in,  too;  he'll  be  a  sight  to  see  when  we  get  him 
fished  out.  He's  in  putty  well  nigh  up  to  his  arms." 

Mrs.  March  could  not  help  laughing;  but  Nelly  only 
cried  the  more. 

"  Poor  dear  Rob!  "  she  said:  "  how  he  will  feel!  " 
And  she  began  to  climb  the  fence. 

"  Oh,  Lor'!  don't  any  more  on  ye  come  over  here," 
cried  Billy:  "  it's  all  we  can  do  to  get  round.  The 
creek's  overflowed:  'n'  it's  all  quakin'  tussocks  here; 


THE  MARCHES   LEAVE   GARLAND' 8       177 

that's  the  way  he  went  in,  a  jumpin'  from  one  to  an- 
other." 

While  Billy  was  speaking  he  was  tearing  off  two  of 
the  top  rails  from  the  fence.  He  seemed  to  be  as  strong 
as  a  giant.  In  a  very  few  minutes,  he  had  two  rails 
over  his  shoulder,  and  had  plunged  back  among  the 
bushes.  In  a  few  minutes  more,  out  they  all  came ;  Rob 
being  led  between  Mr.  March  and  Billy.  He  was  indeed, 
as  Billy  had  said  he  would  be,  "  a  sight  to  behold. ' '  Up 
to  his  very  arms  he  was  plastered  with  black,  slimy  mud. 

' '  Oh,  mamma,  it  smells  horrid, ' '  was  his  first  remark. 
"  I  wouldn't  mind  if  it  didn't  smell  so." 

Nelly  ran  up  as  close  to  him  as  she  dared. 

"  Oh,  Rob,"  she  said,  "  how  could  you  go  in  such  a 
place  !  Why  didn  't  you  stay  with  us  ?  ' ' 

lt  I  wanted  to  see  if  there  were  any  grapes  yet,"  said 
Rob;  "  and  you  couldn't  have  told  yourself,  Nell,  that 
it  wouldn't  bear.  Ugh!  What '11  I  do,  mamma?  " 

"I'm  sure  I  don't  know,  Rob,"  said  Mrs.  March: 
she  was  at  her  wit 's  end.  She  looked  helplessly  at  Billy : 
Billy  was  rubbing  his  left  cheek  with  his  right  forefin- 
ger, —  his  invariable  gesture  when  he  wras  perplexed. 
Mr.  March  also  stood  looking  at  Rob  with  a  despairing 
face. 

"  I  wish  you  wouldn't  all  look  so  at  me,"  cried  Rob, 
half  crying:  "  it's  horrid  to  be  stared  at.  What '11  I 
do,  mamma?  " 

It  was  indeed  a  dilemma.  Rob's  trousers  and  jacket 
were  dripping  wet,  and  coated  thick  with  the  muddy 
slime ;  his  shoes  were  full  of  it ;  as  he  walked  about  it 
made  a  gurgling  noise,  and  spurted  up ;  his  face  was 
spattered  with  it;  his  hands  were  black;  even  his  hair 
had  not  escaped. 

"  There's  lots  o'  hay  in  the  barn,"  said  Billy;  "  we 
might  rub  a  good  deal  off  on  him  with  that.  Me  'n' 
you'd  better  take  him,"  said  Billy,  nodding  to  Mr. 


178  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

March.  "  No,  mum,  ye  stay  where  ye  be;  we'll  man- 
age better  without  ye,  this  time,"  continued  Billy,  wav- 
ing Mrs.  March  back,  as  she  set  out  to  follow  them. 

Poor  Rob  looked  back,  as  Billy  led  him  off  towards 
the  barn;  the  tears  ran  down  in  the  mud  on  his  cheeks, 
and  made  little  white  tracks  all  the  way. 

"  I  think  you're  real  mean  to  laugh,  mamma,"  he 
said. 

Mrs.  March  was  sorry  to  hurt  his  feelings,  but  she 
could  not  help  laughing.  Nelly  did  not  laugh,  however : 
she  looked  almost  as  wretched  as  Rob  did.  It  seemed 
an  age  before  any  one  came  back  from  the  barn.  Then 
Mr.  March  and  Billy  came  out  alone:  Mr.  March  car- 
ried Rob's  trousers  on  a  stick,  and  Billy  carried  the 
jacket  and  the  stockings  and  shoes. 

11  Why,  what  have  you  done  with  the  child!  "  ex- 
claimed Mrs.  March :  ' '  he  will  take  cold,  without  any 
clothes  on." 

Mr.  March's  eyes  twinkled. 

"  Well,  he  has  some  clothes  on,  such  as  they  are,"  he 
said.  ' '  Billy  raised  a  contribution  for  him  :  my  under- 
drawers  and  vest,  and  Billy's  coat;  he's  all  rolled  up 
in  the  hay,  and  you'd  better  go  and  sit  by  him  now." 

Mrs.  March  and  Nelly  hurried  in.  There  lay  Rob, 
all  buried  up  in  hay:  only  his  face  to  be  seen.  He 
looked  very  jolly  now,  and  said  he  felt  perfectly  com- 
fortable. 

"  Now  tell  me  a  story,  mamma!  tell  me  a  story. 
You've  got  to  tell  me  stories  as  long  as  I  stay  here." 

So  Mrs.  March  sat  down  on  one  side,  and  Nelly  on 
the  other,  and  Mrs.  March  told  them  the  story  of  the 
Master  Thief,  out  of  the  Brothers  Grimm's  "  Fairy 
Stories  of  All  Lands;  "  and,  just  as  she  got  to  where 
the  Master  Thief  was  planning  to  steal  the  bottom  sheet 
from  off  the  king's  bed,  she  looked  up  and  saw  that 
Rob  was  fast  asleep. 


THE  MARCHES   LEAVE   GAEL  AND' S       179 

"  Oh,  that's  good,"  she  said;  "  that's  the  best  thing 
that  could  have  happened  to  him.  Now  we'll  go  out 
and  look  at  the  house  again." 

11  But,  mamma,"  said  Nelly,  "  I  think  I'll  stay  here. 
If  he  should  wake  up,  he  would  feel  so  lonely  here ;  and 
he  can't  get  out  of  the  hay." 

'  *  Thank  you,  dear :  that  is  very  kind  of  you, ' '  replied 
Mrs.  March.  And,  as  she  went  out  of  the  barn,  she 
said  to  herself,  "  What  a  kind,  thoughtful  child  Nelly 
is.  She  really  is  like  a  little  woman." 

Mrs.  March  could  not  find  her  husband  and  Billy  any- 
where; so  she  sat  down  on  the  door-step  of  the  house 
to  wait  for  them.  She  looked  up  and  down  the  beau- 
tiful valley:  it  seemed  a  great  deal  more  than  thirty 
miles  long.  The  mountains  at  the  south  end  of  it  looked 
blue  and  hazy;  the  great  Sangre  di  Christo  Mountains, 
which  made  the  western  wall,  looked  very  near;  the 
snow  on  them  shone  so  brightly  it  dazzled  Mrs.  March's 
eyes  to  look  at  it.  After  a  time,  she  got  up  from  the 
door-step  and  walked  round  to  the  north  side  of  the 
house. 

"  Oh,  there  is  Nelly's  mountain!  "  she  said.  There 
stood  Pike's  Peak,  in  full  sight,  to  the  northeast.  It 
looked  so  grand  and  so  high  at  first,  Mrs.  March  did  not 
know  it.  This,  too,  had  a  great  deal  of  snow  on  it,  and 
there  were  white  clouds  floating  round  the  top;  it  was 
the  grandest  sight  in  the  whole  view.  There  were  no 
other  houses  near;  she  could  see  only  a  few  in  the  val- 
ley ;  and  she  could  not  see  Rosita  at  all.  The  road  down 
which  they  had  come  seemed  to  end  very  soon  among  the 
hills. 

11  "We  shall  not  have  much  more  to  do  with  neighbors 
here  than  in  the  Pass,"  thought  Mrs.  March.  "  But  I 
do  not  care  for  that.  One  could  never  be  lonely  with 
these  mountains  to  look  at." 

"  Well,  mum,  here's  the  little  feller's  clo'es,"  said 


180  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

Billy,  coming  up  at  this  moment,  with  Rob's  clothes 
hanging  in  a  limp  wet  bundle  over  his  arm.  "  Now  I'll 
jest  make  a  rousin'  fire  back  here,  'n'  you'll  be  aston- 
ished to  see  how  quick  they'll  dry.  I've  washed  'em  in 
about  five  hundred  waters,  —  that  medder  mud 's  the 
meanest  stuff  to  stick  ye  ever  see,  —  but  they  '11  be  dry 
in  no  time  now." 

"  Mamma!  "  called  Nelly,  from  the  barn;  "  Rob's 
awake.  He  wants  to  get  up:  he  says  he  won't  lie  here 
another  minute." 

"  I'll  show  him  his  clo'es,"  said  Billy.  "  I  guess 
that'll  convince  him,"  and  Billy  carried  the  wet  bundle 
into  the  barn.  Shouts  of  laughter  followed,  and  in  a 
minute  more  Billy  came  out  again,  shaking  all  over  with 
laughter.  "  I  jest  offered  'em  to  him,"  said  he,  "  'n' 
told  him  he  could  get  up  'n'  put  'em  on  ef  he  wanted 
to ;  but  I  rayther  thought  he  'd  better  let  'em  dry  some 
fust." 

"  What  did  he  say?  "  asked  Mrs.  March. 

"  He  wanted  to  know  how  long  it  would  take  'em  to 
dry,  'n'  I  told  him  the  best  part  of  an  hour;  'twill  be 
some  longer 'n  that,  but  I  couldn't  pretend  to  be  exact 
to  a  minnit,  'n'  he  laid  back  on  the  hay  'n'  sez  he :  '  You 
tell  my  mamma  to  come  right  here  'n'  finish  that  story 
she  was  a  tellinV  ' 

When  Mrs.  March  went  back  into  the  barn,  she 
shouted  aloud  as  soon  as  she  saw  Rob.  He  had  crawled 
out  of  his  hay  bed.  It  was  too  warm :  there  he  sat  bolt 
upright,  with  his  legs  straight  out  in  front  of  him.  Nelly 
had  drawn  the  white  drawer  legs  out  to  their  full  length, 
and  set  Rob's  shoes,  toes  up,  in  the  hay  at  the  end  of 
them,  so  it  looked  as  if  his  legs  were  all  that  length; 
then  Mr.  March's  gray  waistcoat  came  down  nearly  to 
his  knees,  and  Billy's  old  brown  coat  hung  on  his  shoul- 
ders as  loosely  as  a  blanket.  He  looked  up  at  his  mother 
with  a  perfectly  grave  face,  and  did  not  speak.  Nelly 


TEE  MARCHES   LEAVE   GARLAND'S       181 

was  lathing  hard.  "  Isn't  he  too  funny,  mamma?  " 
said  she. 

"  You  can  laugh  now  if  you  want  to,  mamma, "  said 
Rob,  politely.  "  I  don't  mind  your  laughing  at  papa's 
drawers  and  waistcoat  and  Billy's  old  coat.  That's 
quite  different  from  laughing  at  me." 

' '  Thank  you,  dear, ' '  said  Mrs.  March :  ' '  you  're  very 
kind;  but  I  can  get  along  very  comfortably  without 
laughing  at  you  now.  You're  not  half  so  funny  as  you 
were  when  you  were  covered  with  the  mud." 

It  took  so  long  to  dry  Rob 's  clothes,  that  it  was  nearly 
dark  when  they  got  back  to  Rosita. 

"  "Well,  I  reckoned  you  liked  your  house  so  well  you 
weren't  coming  back  to  us  at  all,"  said  the  landlord,  as 
they  drove  up. 

"  Oh,  no,  sir,"  cried  Rob,  "  that  wasn't  it.  I  fell 
into  the  mud  by  the  creek:  I  always  fall  into  the  water 
each  new  place  we  go  to.  I  did  it  the  first  thing  up  in 
the  Pass." 

The  landlord  looked  closely  at  him.  ' '  What !  you 
been  into  the  creek  in  them  clothes?  " 

"  Billy  washed  them,"  said  Nelly;  "  they  were  all 
black  as  mud." 

"  Oh!  "  said  the  landlord.  "  Well,  there  ain't  any 
thing  under  Heaven  that  Long  Billy  can't  do:  that's 
certain. ' ' 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  thought  so  too,  when  one  week 
later  they  drove  down  to  take  possession  of  their  home. 
Billy  had  pleaded  so  earnestly  to  be  allowed  to  do  all 
the  work  himself  that  Mr.  March  had  consented;  and 
had  even  promised  him  that  they  would  not  come  near 
the  house  until  he  invited  them.  Then  Billy  set  to  work 
in  good  earnest,  and  Miss  Lucinda  Harkiss  set  to  work 
with  him.  This  was  the  young  woman  to  whom  Billy 
was  engaged.  She  was  coming  to  be  Mrs.  March's  serv- 
ant. A  very  good  time  Lucinda  and  Billy  had  all  that 


182  NELLY'E    SILVER   MINE 

week.  It  was  almost  like  going  to  housekeeping  together 
for  themselves.  The  first  day  Lucinda  swept  and 
scrubbed  the  floors,  and  washed  the  windows  till  they 
shone ;  then  Billy  stained  all  the  floors  dark  brown,  and 
painted  the  window-sashes  and  the  door-frames  brown; 
and  this  brown  color  was  so  pretty  with  the  yellow  of 
the  pine,  .that  it  made  the  rough  boarded  rooms  look 
almost  handsome.  While  the  paint  was  drying,  Lucinda 
and  Billy  drove  over  to  Pine's  ranch  at  the  foot  of  one 
of  the  Sangre  di  Christo  mountains.  They  knew  old  Mr. 
Pine  very  well;  and  he  was  very  glad  to  have  them 
make  him  a  visit.  All  one  day  Billy  worked  hard  dig- 
ging up  young  pine-trees,  and  Lucinda  gathered  a  great 
quantity  of  the  kinnikinnick  vines.  Billy  had  told  her 
how  Mrs.  March  had  had  them  nailed  up  on  the  walls  in 
the  other  house.  The  next  day  they  drove  home  early 
in  the  morning,  and  in  the  afternoon  Billy  set  out  a 
row  of  the  little  pine-trees  all  round  the  house.  "  Even 
if  they  don't  grow,  they'll  look  green  for  a  spell,"  he 
said  to  Lucinda;  "an'  ye  never  see  a  woman  hanker 
arter  green  stuff's  Miss  March  does.  There  wan't  a 
livin'  thing  growin'  in  that  Ute  Pass,  but  what  she  had 
it  in  a  pitcher  or  a  tumbler  or  a  tin  can,  a  settin'  round 
in  her  house.  And  as  for  that  Nelly,  she'd  bring  in  her 
arms  full  o'  flowers  every  day  o'  her  life.  You'll  like 
'em  all,  Lucinda,  see  if  you  don't.  They  ain't  like  most 
o'  the  folks  out  here." 

Lucinda  had  a  good  many  fears  about  coming  to  live 
with  Mrs.  March.  She  had  never  been  a  servant;  but 
she  wanted  to  be  married  to  Billy  as  much  as  he  wanted 
to  be  married  to  her,  and  she  thought  if  she  could  earn 
good  wages  and  lay  all  the  money  up,  they  could  be 
married  sooner. 

"  I  shall  like  them  well  enough,  I  dare  say,"  said  Lu- 
cinda ;  ' '  but  I  don 't  know  how  I  '11  stand  being  ordered 
round." 


THE   MARCHES   LEAVE    GARLAND'S     183 

"  Ordered  round!  "  said  Billy,  in  a  scornful  tone. 
1 1  I  tell  you  they  ain  't  the  orderin '  round  kind ;  they  're 
the  reel  genuwine  fust-class  folks;  an'  genuwine  fust- 
class  folks  don't  never  order  nobody  to  do  nothing:  I 
tell  you  I  shouldn't  stand  no  orderin'  any  more'n  you 
would.  Mr.  March  he  always  sez  to  me,  '  We'd  better 
do  so  and  so,'  if  there's  any  thing  he  wants  done;  'n' 
he  works  's  hard  as  I  do,  any  day,  'n'  Miss  March  she's 
jest  like  him.  You'll  see  how  'twill  be.  I  ain't  a  mite 
af eared. ' ' 

After  the  paint  was  dry,  they  nailed  up  the  vines ;  and 
Billy  added  to  them  some  pine  boughs  with  great  clus- 
ters of  green  cones  on  them  which  were  beautiful.  Theji 
they  unpacked  the  boxes  o.f  furniture ;  and  Billy  showed 
Lucinda  how  to  put  up  the  chintz  curtains  in  the  sitting- 
room,  and  the  white  ones  in  the  bedrooms,  and,  when  it 
was  all  done,  it  looked  so  pretty  that  Billy  could  not 
help  saying :  — • 

"  Don't  you  wish  it  was  our  house,  Luce?  "  He 
always  called  her  Luce  for  short.  "  Can't  take  time 
for  no  three-storied  names  'n  this  country,"  said  Billy; 
"  two's  too  many." 

Lucinda  blushed  a  little,  and  said :  — 

"  We  can  make  ours  just  as  pretty  some  day,  Billy." 

11  That's  so,  Luce,"  said  Billy:  "  you'll  get  lots  o' 
idees  out  o '  Miss  March.  She 's  what  I  call  a  reel  home-y 
woman.  I  hain't  never  seen  nobody  I've  took  to  so  since 
I  left  hum." 

When  every  thing  was  ready,  the  house  and  the  barns 
and  sheds  all  in  order,  and  the  whole  enclosure  raked 
over  and  made  as  tidy  as  possible,  Billy  said :  — 

"  Now,  we'll  jest  keep  'em  waitin'  one  more  day. 
You  make  up  a  lot  o'  your  best  bread,  and  churn  some 
butter ;  'n '  I  '11  go  over  to  Pine 's  and  pick  two  or  three 
gallons  o'  raspberries.  They're  just  ripe  to  pick  now, 
'n'  this  is  the  last  chance  I'll  get.  Then  you  'n'  Miss 


184  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

March  can  preserve  'em.  I  know  she  wants  some.  I 
heared  her  say  so  when  we  was  a  comin'  up  Hardscrabble 
Canyon. ' ' 

Something  besides  raspberries  Billy  brought  back 
from  Pine 's  ranch  that  night,  —  something  that  he  never 
dreamed  of  getting,  something  which  pleased  him  so 
greatly  he  fairly  snapped  his  fingers  with  delight,  —  it 
was  a  little  pet  fawn.  "  Old-man  Pine  "  had  had  it  for 
several  months;  it  had  strayed  down  out  of  the  woods, 
when  it  was  too  young  to  find  its  way  back;  he  had 
found  it  early  one  morning  lapping  milk  out  of  the  milk- 
pan  he  kept  outside  his  cabin-door  for  his  dog  Spotty. 
He  had  caught  it  without  difficulty,  and  tamed  it,  so 
that  it  followed  him  about  like  a  puppy.  Sometimes  it 
would  disappear  for  a  few  days,  but  always  came  back 
again.  It  was  a  lovely  little  creature,  almost  white 
under  its  belly,  and  on  the  under  side  of  its  legs;  but 
all  the  rest  of  a  beautiful  bright  red.  When  Billy  told 
old  Mr.  Pine  about  the  March  family,  and  about  the 
twin  brother  and  sister,  who  were  such  nice  children, 
the  old  man  said :  — 

1 '  Don 't  you  think  they  'd  like  to  have  the  fawn  ?  It 's 
a  pesky  little  thing,  for  all  it's  so  pretty,  an'  I'm  tired 
on  't.  There  was  a  man  offered  me  seven  dollars  for  it, 
a  while  ago,  but  I  thought  I  didn't  want  to  let  it  go; 
but  ye  may  have  it  for  them  children  if  ye  want  it.  Ye 
can  tell  'em  I  sent  it  to  'em;  an'  I'm  the  oldest  settler 
in  this  valley,  tell  'em.  Yer  must  bring  'em  over  to  see 
me  some  time." 

Billy  promised  to  do  so. 

11  They'll  go  clean  out  o'  their  heads  when  they  see 
the  critter,"  he  added.  "  They've  been  a  talkin'  about 
deer  ever  since  they  come:  deer  an'  silver  are  the  two 
things  they  're  full  of.  They  've  pretty  near  walked  their 
little  feet  off  by  this  time,  I  expect,  lookin'  fur  a  mine. 
They  took  the  idee's  soon's  they  see  the  wagon-load  o' 


THE   MARCHES   LEAVE    GARLAND'S      185 

ore  I  was  a  haulm'  through  the  Ute  Pass:  that's  when 
I  fust  knew  'em;  an'  I  declare  to  you,  the  youngsters 
hain  't  never  let  go  on 't,  'n '  I  donno  's  they  ever  will. ' ' 

' '  Mebbe,  then,  they  '11  find  a  mine  yet, ' '  said  old  Pine. 
"  There's  one  o'  the  best  mines  in  all  Calif orny  was 
found  by  a  little  feller  not  more'n  ten  years  old.  He 
jest  hauled  up  a  bush  with  solid  gold  a  stickin'  in  the 
roots." 

"  You  don't  say  so!  "  said  Billy.  "  Well,  there  ain't 
no  such  free  gold 's  that  in  this  country ;  but  I  wouldn  't 
like  any  thing  much  better,  next  to  findin'  a  mine  my- 
self, than  to  have  Mr.  March's  folks  find  one.  They're 
the  sort  o'  folks  ought  to  have  money." 

Billy  worked  very  late  that  night  fencing  a  little  bit 
of  the  green  meadow  nearest  the  house,  to  keep  the 
fawn  in.  The  little  creature  seemed  shy  and  frightened ; 
and,  when  Billy  drove  away  in  the  morning  to  bring  the 
family  down,  he  charged  Lucinda  to  go  out  often  and 
speak  to  it  and  feed  it  with  sugar. 

"  I'd  like  to  have  it  get  over  its  scare  before  Nelly 
sees  it,"  he  said;  "  for,  if  it  don't  seem  to  be  happy, 
she's  just  the  gal  to  go  on  the  sly  and  let  the  critter  out, 
so  it  could  go  where  it  wants  to." 

Billy  was  much  disappointed,  when  he  reached  the 
hotel,  to  learn  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  and  the  children 
were  out.  They  had  gone  to  one  of  the  mines,  and  would 
not  be  back  till  dinner-time;  for  they  were  going  down 
into  the  mine. 

"  I  never  see  any  thing  in  all  my  life  like  that  little 
chap,"  said  the  landlord.  "  He  don't  rest  a  minute.  I 
believe  he  'n'  his  sister  have  walked  over  every  foot  o' 
ground  within  five  miles  o '  this  house ;  'n '  there  ain  't  a 
workin'  mine  in  all  these  gulches  that  he  don't  know 
by  name ;  'n '  he  '11  tell  you  who 's  the  foreman  'n '  how 
many  workmen  are  on ;  'n '  he 's  got  about  a  wheelbarrow 
full  o'  specimens  o'  one  sort  'n'  another,  for  his  museum, 


186  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

's  he  calls  it.  The  little  girl  she  seems  a  kind  o'  nurse 
to  him,  she 's  so  steady ;  but  they  say  they  're  twins :  you 
wouldn't  ever  think  it." 

"  No,  that  you  wouldn't,"  replied  Billy;  "  but  they 
are.  I  like  the  gal  best  myself.  She  don't  say  much; 
but  there  ain't  nothin'  escapes  her,  'n'  she's  just  the 
sweetest-tempered  little  thing  that  was  ever  born.  She's 
too  good:  that's  the  worst  on't.  I  don't  like  to  see 
youngsters  always  doin'  right;  't  don't  look  healthy." 

Poor  Lucinda  's  nice  dinner  was  almost  spoiled,  —  it 
had  to  wait  so  long  before  the  family  came.  Billy  had 
not  once  thought  of  the  possibility  of  his  not  finding 
them  at  home,  and  had  called  out  to  Lucinda,  as  he 
drove  off :  — 

"  Now,  mind,  Luce,  you  have  all  ready  at  one,  sharp. 
We'll  be  here  before  that  time." 

So,  when  Billy  drove  into  the  yard,  at  half-past  two 
o'clock,  he  felt  quite  crestfallen,  and  half  afraid  to  see 
Lucinda 's  face  in  the  doorway.  But  she  smiled  pleas- 
antly, and  only  said :  — 

"  How  punctual  you  are,  to  be  sure!  Dinner  won't 
be  very  good." 

"  Never  mind,  Lucinda,"  said  Mrs.  March.  "  We 
were  not  at  home.  It  wasn't  Billy's  fault.  He  has  been 
worrying  about  you  for  an  hour.  It  will  taste  very  good 
to  us  all,  for  we  are  hungry." 

Mrs.  March  praised  every  thing  in  the  house,  till 
Billy's  face  and  Lucinda 's  grew  red  with  pleasure;  and 
Mr.  March  also  praised  every  thing  out  of  doors. 

"  Didn't  I  tell  you,  Luce,"  said  Billy,  at  the  first 
chance  he  found  to  whisper  in  her  ear,  "  didn't  I  tell 
you  they  was  nice  folks  to  work  for?  They  don't  let 
you  slave  yourself  to  death  for  'em  like  some  folks,  'n' 
never  say  so  much  's  a  thank  you. ' ' 

The  delight  of  Rob  and  Nelly  in  the  fawn  was  greater 
than  could  be  told  in  words.  They  ran  round  and  round 


THE  MARCHES  LEAVE   GARLAND'S       187 

the  enclosure,  to  see  it  upon  all  sides;  they  fed  it,  till 
it  would  not  eat  another  mouthful;  they  stood  still, 
gazing  at  it  with  almost  unbelief  in  their  faces. 

"  Oh,  is  it  really  our  own?  Will  it  always  stay?  " 
they  cried.  "  It  is  too  good  to  be  true. ' ' 

I  don't  believe  there  was  in  all  Colorado  a  happier 
family  than  went  to  sleep  under  Mr.  March's  roof  that 
night.  Everybody  was  entirely  satisfied  with  the  home 
and  with  everybody  in  it.  Even  Watch  and  Trotter  sat 
in  the  low-arched  doors  of  their  new  houses,  and  held 
their  heads  up,  and  looked  around  them  with  an  air  of 
contentment  and  pride.  They  had  never  had  houses  of 
their  own  before.  They  had  slept  on  the  great  pile  of 
saw-dust  by  the  old  mill ;  but  they  walked  straight  into 
these  little  houses  and  took  possession  of  them  as  nat- 
urally as  possible.  They  almost  made  you  think  of  peo- 
ple who,  when  they  come  into  possession  of  things  much 
finer  than  they  have  been  accustomed  to,  try  very  hard 
to  act  as  if  they  had  had  them  all  their  lives. 


CHAPTER    IX 

WET    MOUNTAIN    VALLEY 

AND  now  my  story  must  skip  over  three  whole  years. 
There  is  so  much  to  tell  you  about  Nelly,  and  her 
life  in  the  Wet  Mountain  Valley,  that,  if  I  do  not  skip 
a  good  deal,  the  story  will  be  much  too  long.  The  first 
year  was  a  very  happy  and  prosperous  one.  There  were 
big  crops  of  wheat  and  of  hay,  and  they  were  sold  for 
good  prices,  so  that  Mr.  March  had  more  money  than  he 
needed  to  live  on,  and  he  was  so  pleased  that  he  spent 
it  all  for  new  things,  —  some  new  books,  some  new  fur- 
niture, and  a  nice  new  carriage  much  more  comfortable 
for  Mrs.  March  to  drive  in  than  the  white-topped  wagon. 
Mrs.  March  felt  very  sorry  to  have  this  money  spent; 
she  wanted  it  put  away  to  keep ;  but,  as  I  told  you  be- 
fore, Mr.  March  always  wanted  to  buy  every  thing  he 
liked,  and  he  thought  that  there  would  always  be  money 
enough. 

1 1  Why,  Sarah !  "  he  said ;  ' '  here 's  the  land !  It  can 't 
run  away!  and  we  can  always  sell  the  hay  and  the 
wheat ;  and  the  cattle  go  on  increasing  every  year.  We 
shall  have  more  and  more  money  every  year.  By  and 
by,  when  we  get  things  comfortable  around  us,  we  can 
lay  up  money;  but  I  really  think  we  ought  to  make 
ourselves  comfortable. ' ' 

So  Mr.  March  bought  every  thing  that  Billy  said  he 
would  like  to  have  to  work  with  on  the  farm,  and  he 
sent  to  Denver  for  books  and  for  clothes  for  Rob  and 


WET   MOUNTAIN    VALLEY  189 

Nelly,  and  almost  every  month  he  added  some  new  and 
pretty  thing  to  the  house.  Thus  it  went  on  until  at  the 
end  of  the  year,  all  the  money  which  had  been  made  off 
the  farm  was  gone,  and  all  their  own  little  income  had 
been  spent  too.  Not  a  penny  had  been  laid  up  in  the 
house  except  by  Billy  and  Lucinda.  They  had  laid  up 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  apiece.  They  had  each 
had  three  hundred  and  had  spent  only  fifty. 

"  Luce,"  said  Billy,  "  one  more  such  year's  this,  an' 
we  can  take  that  little  house  down  to  Cobbs's,  and  farm 
it  for  ourselves." 

"  Yes,"  said  Lucinda,  hesitatingly,  "  but  I'd  a  most 
rather  stay's  we  are.  I  don't  ever  want  to  leave  Mrs. 
March  'n'  the  children;  and  you  'n'  I  couldn't  be  to- 
gether any  more  'n  we  are  now. ' ' 

"  Why,  Luce!  "  said  Billy;  and  he  walked  out  of  the 
kitchen  without  another  word.  He  was  grieved.  Lu- 
cinda ran  after  him. 

"  Billy!  "  she  said. 

11  What?  "  said  Billy,  chopping  away  furiously  at  a 
big  pine  log. 

"  I  didn't  mean  that  I  wouldn't  go  if  you  thought 
best;  only  that  I  hated  to  leave  the  folks.  Of  course, 
I  expect  we'll  go  when  the  time  comes.  You  needn't 
get  mad. ' ' 

"  Oh,  I  ain't  mad,"  said  poor  Billy;  "  but  it  sounded 
kind  o'  disappintin ',  I  tell  yer.  I  like  the  folks's  well's 
you  do ;  but  a  man  wants  to  have  his  own  place,  and  his 
children  a  growin '  up  round  him ;  but  I  shan  't  ask  you 
to  go  till  you're  ready:  you  may  rest  'sured  o'  that." 
And  with  this  half  way  making  up,  Lucinda  had  to  be 
satisfied. 

Before  the  second  summer  was  over,  Mr.  March  was 
quite  ready  to  acknowledge  that  it  would  have  been 
wiser  to  follow  his  wife's  advice,  and  lay  up  all  the 
money  which  they  did  not  absolutely  need  to  spend. 


190  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

Just  as  the  crops  were  well  up,  and  bidding  fair  to  be 
as  large  as  before,  there  came  all  of  a  sudden,  in  a 
night,  a  great  army  of  grasshoppers  and  ate  every  thing 
up.  You  little  children  in  the  East  who  have  seen  grass- 
hoppers only  a  few  at  a  time,  as  you  walk  through  the 
fields  in  the  summer,  cannot  have  the  least  idea  of  how 
terrible  a  thing  an  army  of  grasshoppers  can  be.  It 
comes  through  the  air  like  a  great  cloud:  in  less  than 
a  minute,  the  ground,  the  fences,  the  trees,  the  bushes, 
the  grass,  the  doorsteps,  the  outsides  of  the  windows, 
are  all  covered  thick  with  them;  millions  and  millions 
of  millions,  all  eating,  eating  as  fast  as  they  can  eat. 
If  you  drive  over  a  road  where  they  are,  they  rise  up 
in  great  masses,  their  wings  making  a  whistling  noise, 
and  horses  are  afraid  to  go  along.  Think  of  that:  a 
great  creature  like  a  horse  afraid  of  such  little  creatures 
as  grasshoppers!  Nobody  would  believe  without  seeing 
it,  how  a  garden  or  a  field  looks  after  one  of  these  grass- 
hopper armies  has  passed  over  it.  It  looks  as  bare  and 
brown  as  if  it  had  been  burned  with  fire.  There  is  not 
left  the  smallest  bit  of  green  leaf  in  it.  This  is  the  way 
all  Mr.  March 's  fields  looked  in  one  week  after  the  grass- 
hoppers came  into  the  valley.  All  the  other  farmers' 
fields  were  in  the  same  condition.  It  was  enough  to  make 
your  heart  ache  to  look  at  them.  After  there  was  noth- 
ing more  left  to  eat,  then  the  great  army  spread  its  wings 
and  moved  on  to  the  South. 

Mr.  March  looked  around  him  in  despair.  It  had  all 
happened  so  suddenly  he  was  confused  and  perplexed. 
It  was  almost  like  having  your  house  burn  down  over 
your  head.  In  one  week  he  had  lost  a  whole  year's  in- 
come. It  was  too  late  for  the  things  to  grow  again  before 
the  autumn  frosts  which  come  very  early  in  the  valley. 

This  was  real  trouble.  However,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  March 
kept  up  good  courage,  and  hoped  it  would  never  happen 
again.  They  sold  their  pretty  new  carriage  and  all  the 


WET   MOUNTAIN    VALLEY  191 

other  things  that  they  could  spare,  to  get  money  to  buy 
food  for  themselves  and  for  the  cattle;  and  they  told 
Billy  and  Lucinda  that  they  could  not  afford  to  keep 
them  any  longer. 

"  We  must  do  all  our  own  work  this  winter,  Billy," 
said  Mr.  March;  "  if  you  don't  get  any  thing  better  to 
do,  1 11  be  glad  of  you  next  summer ;  but  this  winter  we 
have  got  to  be  as  saving  as  possible.  Rob  will  help  me, 
and  Nelly '11  help  her  mother:  we  must  put  our  shoul- 
ders to  the  wheel  like  the  rest." 

Billy  was  not  surprised  to  hear  this.  On  the  morning 
the  grasshoppers  appeared,  he  had  said  to  Lucinda :  — 

"  Luce,  do  you  see  those  pesky  varmints?  They'll 
jest  clean  out  this  valley  in  about  ten  days,  'n'  you  'n' 
me  may 's  well  pack  our  trunks.  There  won 't  be  victuals 
for  any  extra  mouths  here  this  year,  I  tell  you;  I 
shouldn't  wonder  if  it  jest  about  broke  Mr.  March  up. 
He  hain't  got  any  ready  money  to  fall  back  on.  He  paid 
down  about  all  he  had  for  this  place,  'n'  he's  spent  a 
sight  this  last  year.  Blamed  if  I  don't  wish  I  hadn't 
asked  him  for  a  thing.  He's  the  generousest  man  ever 
was.  It's  a  shame  he  should  have  such  luck.  I  don't 
count  on  next  summer  nuther,  for  the  ground '11  be 
chuck  full  of  the  nasty  beasts'  eggs:  ten  to  one  they'll 
be  worse  next  year  than  they  are  this:  there's  no 
knowin'.  We  might's  well  get  married,  Luce,  an'  if 
there's  any  thing  doin'  in  the  valley  at  all,  I  can  allers 
get  it  to  do." 

So,  early  in  the  autumn  Billy  and  Lucinda  were  mar- 
ried, and  went  to  live  in  "  Cobbs's  Cabin,"  a  little  log 
cabin  about  two  miles  from  Mr.  March's  place,  on  the 
road  to  Rosita.  The  winter  was  a  long  and  a  hard  one : 
hay  was  scarce  and  dear;  and  all  sorts  of  provisions 
were  sold  at  higher  prices  than  ever  before.  The  March 
family,  however,  were  well  and  in  good  spirits.  Nelly 
and  Rob  enjoyed  working  with  their  father  and  mother, 


192  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

—  Rob  in  the  barn  and  out  in  the  fields,  and  Nelly  in 
the  house.  They  still  studied  an  hour  every  day,  and 
recited  to  their  father  in  the  evening.  Rob  studied 
Latin,  and  Xelly  studied  arithmetic;  and  their  mother 
read  to  them  every  night  a  few  pages  of  history,  or  some 
good  book  of  travels.  Rob  did  not  love  to  study,  and 
did  only  what  he  must ;  but  Nelly  grew  more  and  more 
fond  of  books  every  day.  She  did  not  care  for  her  dolls 
any  longer.  Even  the  great  wax  doll  which  Mrs.  Will- 
iams had  given  her  was  now  very  seldom  taken  out  of 
the  box.  All  Nelly  wanted  to  make  her  happy  was  a 
book:  it  seemed  sometimes  as  if  it  did  not  make  much 
difference  to  her  what  sort  of  a  book.  She  read  every 
thing  she  could  find  in  the  house;  even  volumes  of  ser- 
mons she  did  not  despise;  and  it  was  an  odd  thing  to 
see  a  little  girl  twelve  years  old  reading  a  big,  old  leather 
bound  volume  of  sermons.  Rob  used  to  laugh  at  her  and 
Bay:  — 

' '  Oh,  pshaw,  Nell !  what  makes  you  read  that  1  Read 
Mayne  Reid's  stories:  they're  worth  while.  What  do 
you  want  to  read  sermons  for,  I  'd  like  to  know  ?  ' '  And 
Nelly  would  laugh  too,  and  say :  — 

i;  Well,  Rob,  they  aren't  so  nice  as  stories;  but  I  do 
like  to  read  them.  It's  like  hearing  papa  preach." 

To  which  Rob  would  reply,  in  a  cautious  whisper:  — 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  we  don't  have  to  hear  papa  preach 
any  more.  I  hate  sermons.  I'm  never  going  to  church 
again 's  long's  I  live;  and,  when  I'm  a  man,  I  sha'n't 
make  my  boys  go  to  church  if  they  don't  want  to." 

The  third  summer  began  just  as  the  one  before  it  had 
begun,  with  a  great  promise  of  fine  crops ;  but  they 
were  no  sooner  fairly  under  way,  than  the  grasshoppers 
came  again,  and  ate  them  all  up.  This  was  very  dis- 
couraging. Mr.  March  did  not  know  what  to  do.  He 
sold  a  good  many  of  his  cows ;  and,  before  the  summer 
was  over,  he  sold  some  of  his  books;  but  that  money 


WET   MOUNTAIN    VALLEY  193 

did  not  last  long,  and  they  were  really  very  poor.  Now 
came  the  time  when  Nelly's  little  head  began  to  be  full 
of  plans  for  earning  money.  She  asked  her  mother, 
one  day,  to  let  her  go  up  into  Rosita  and  sell  some  eggs. 

Mrs.  March  looked  at  her  in  surprise. 

"  Why,  Nell,"  she  said,  "  you  couldn't  walk  so  far." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  could,"  said  Nelly.  "  Rob  and  I  often 
walk  up  to  the  top  of  the  hill:  it's  only  a  little  way 
from  Billy's  house,  and  we  often  go  there;  and  I  know 
I  could  sell  all  our  eggs,  —  and  some  butter  too,  if  we 
could  make  enough  to  spare.  I'd  like  to,  too.  I  think 
it  would  be  good  fun." 

"  I'll  ask  your  father,"  replied  Mrs.  March.  "  I 
don 't  think  he  'd  be  willing :  but  if  we  could  get  a  little 
money  that  way,  it  would  be  very  nice.  We  don't  need 
half  the  eggs." 

When  Mrs.  March  told  her  husband  of  Nelly's  prop- 
osition, his  cheeks  flushed. 

"  What  a  child  Nelly  is !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  I  can't 
bear  to  have  her  go  round  among  those  rough  miners. 
I've  often  thought  myself  of  carrying  things  up  there 
to  sell;  but  I  thought  my  time  was  worth  more  on  the 
farm  than  any  thing  I  could  make  selling  eggs.  Oh, 
Sarah!  "  he  exclaimed,  "  I  never  thought  we  should 
come  to  such  a  pass  as  this." 

"  Now,  Robert,  don't  be  foolish,"  said  Mrs.  March, 
gayly.  "  There  isn't  the  least  disgrace  in  selling  butter 
and  eggs.  I'd  as  soon  earn  a  living  in  that  way  as  in 
any  other.  But  I  wouldn't  like  to  have  Nelly  run  any 
risk  of  being  rudely  treated." 

"  I  don't  believe  she  would  be,"  said  Mr.  March: 
"  her  face  is  enough  to  make  the  roughest  sort  of  a  man 
good  to  her.  You  know  how  Billy  worshipped  her ;  and 
he's  a  pretty  rough  fellow  on  the  surface.  I  think  we 
might  let  her  try  it  once,  and  see  what  happens." 

And  so  it  came  to  pass,  that,  early  in  the  third  sum- 


194  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

mer  of  their  stay  in  Wet  Mountain  Valley,  Nelly  set 
off  one  morning  at  six  o'clock  with  a  basket  on  her  arm, 
holding  three  dozen  of  eggs  and  two  pounds  of  butter, 
which  she  was  to  carry  up  into  Rosita  to  sell.  Bob 
pleaded  hard  to  go  too,  but  his  father  would  not  con- 
sent. 

"  Nelly  will  do  better  by  herself,"  he  said.  "  You 
will  be  sure  to  get  into  some  scrape  if  you  go. ' ' 

1 '  I  don 't  care, ' '  said  Rob,  as  he  bade  Nelly  good-by  : 
"  you  just  wait  till  trout  time:  see  if  I  don't  make  him 
let  me  go  then.  I  can  make  more  money  selling  trout 
than  you  can  off  eggs,  any  day.  A  gentleman  told  me 
one  day  when  he  drove  by  where  I  was  fishing,  one  day 
last  summer,  that  he'd  give  me  forty  cents  a  pound  for 
all  I  had  in  my  basket ;  and  I  told  him  I  wasn  't  fishing 
to  sell :  I  was  real  mad.  I  didn  't  know  then  we  were 
going  to  sell  things;  but,  if  we  are,  I  may  as  well  sell 
trout;  the  creek's  full  of  them." 

"  Well,  we  are  going  to  sell  things,  I  tell  you,"  said 
Nelly:  "  I  don't  know  what  else  there  is  for  us  to  do. 
We  haven't  got  any  money;  I  think  papa's  real  wor- 
ried, and  mamma  too;  and  you  and  I've  just  got  to 
help.  It's  too  bad!  I  don't  see  what  God  made  grass- 
hoppers for." 

11  To  catch  trout  with,"  said  Rob,  solemnly:  "  there 
isn't  any  thing  else  half  so  good." 

Nelly  laughed,  and  set  off  at  a  brisk  pace  on  the  road 
to  Rosita.  Her  father  stood  in  the  barn  door  watching 
her.  As  her  little  figure  disappeared,  he  said  aloud :  — 

11  God  bless  her!  she's  the  sweetest  child  a  man  ever 
had!  " 

It  was  almost  five  miles  from  Mr.  March's  house  to 
Rosita.  For  the  first  half  of  the  way,  the  road  lay  in 
the  open  valley,  and  had  no  shade;  but,  as  soon  as  it 
began  to  wind  in  among  the  low  hills,  it  had  pine-trees 
on  each  side  of  it;  the  little  house  where  Billy  and  Lu- 


WET   MOUNTAIN    VALLEY  195 

cinda  lived  stood  in  a  nook  among  these  pines.  Nelly 
reached  this  house  about  seven  o'clock,  just  as  Billy  and 
Lucinda  were  finishing  their  breakfast.  She  walked  in 
without  knocking,  as  she  always  did. 

"  Bless  my  soul  alive!  "  exclaimed  Billy.  "  Why, 
what  on  airth  brings  you  here,  to  this  time  o'  day, 
Nelly?  " 

Nelly  had  placed  her  basket  on  the  floor,  and  sat  down 
in  a  rocking  chair,  and  was  fanning  herself  with  her  sun- 
bonnet.  Her  face  was  very  red  from  the  hot  sun,  but 
her  eyes  were  full  of  fun. 

"  Going  up  to  Rosita,  Billy,"  she  said.  "  Guess  what 
I've  got  in  the  basket." 

1 1  A  kitten, ' '  said  Lucinda :  ' '  your  mother  promised 
me  one." 

' '  Oh,  dear,  no !  "  said  Nelly ;  * '  a  weasel  ate  them  up 
last  Saturday  night :  all  but  one ;  and  that  one  the  old 
cat  must  keep.  Guess  again." 

Billy  did  not  speak.    He  guessed  the  truth. 

11  Your  luncheon,"  said  Lucinda. 

"  Yes,"  said  Nelly,  "  my  luncheon's  in  there,  on  the 
top;  but  underneath  I've  got  eggs  and  I've  got  butter. 
I'm  going  to  sell  them  in  Rosita,  and  mamma  said  I 
was  to  stop  and  ask  you  what  price  I  ought  to  tell  the 
people.  She  didn't  know." 

Billy  walked  hastily  out  of  the  room  and  slammed  the 
door  behind  him.  This  was  what  Long  Billy  always  did 
when  he  felt  badly  about  any  thing.  His  first  idea  was 
to  get  out  in  the  open  air.  Lucinda  looked  after  him 
in  astonishment.  She  did  not  think  of  any  reason 
why  he  should  feel  sorry  about  Nelly's  selling  the  but- 
ter and  eggs,  but  she  saw  something  was  wrong  with 
him. 

11  Why,  you  don't  say  so,  Nelly!  ':'  she  replied. 
tl  Well,  I  dare  say  you'll  make  a  nice  little  penny.  Eggs 
is  thirty  cents,  and  butter  thirty-five  to  forty:  your 


196  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

mother's  ought  to  be  forty.  What 're  you  goin'  to  do 
with  the  money  ?  ' : 

' '  Why,  it  isn  't  for  myself !  ' '  said  Nelly,  in  a  tone 
of  great  astonishment :  "  it 's  for  papa  and  mamma.  I 
don't  want  any  for  myself.  But  you  know  we  don't 
have  hardly  any  money  now;  and  I  asked  mamma  to 
let  me  see  if  I  couldn't  get  some  in  Rosita.  Rob's  going 
to  sell  trout  too,  by  and  by :  as  soon  as  they  're  plenty. ' ' 

Billy  came  back  into  the  room  now;  and,  looking 
away  from  Nelly,  he  said :  — 

"  See  here,  child:  you  let  me  carry  them  things  up 
to  town  for  ye.  Ye  stay  here  with  Luce.  I've  got  to  go 
up  anyway  to-day  or  to-morrow.  It's  too  fur  for  ye  to 
walk." 

"  Oh,  no,  Billy,  thank  you!  "  said  Nelly.  "  It  isn't 
too  far.  I've  often  and  often  walked  up  to  the  hill 
where  you  look  right  into  the  streets.  And  I  want  to 
go;  I  wouldn't  miss  it  for  any  thing." 

"  Well,  I'm  goin'  along  with  yer,  anyhow,"  said 
Billy.  "  Luce,  you  get  me  that  flour-sack."  And,  as 
Lucinda  went  into  the  closet  to  get  it,  he  followed  her 
in  and  shut  the  door. 

"  Ain't  that  a  shame,  Luce,"  he  said,  "  to  have  that 
little  thing  go  round  sellin'  eggs?  I  expect  they're 
awful  hard  up,  or  they  wouldn't  ever  have  done  it.  I 
tell  you  it  jest  cuts  me.  Mr.  March  don't  know  them 
miners  's  well's  I  do.  I  shall  tell  him  it  ain't  no  place 
for  gals." 

11  You're  jest  off  all  wrong  now,  Billy,"  replied  Lu- 
cinda. "  It's  you  that  don't  know  miners.  There 
wouldn't  a  man  in  Rosita  say  a  rough  word  before  Nelly 
no  sooner 'n  you  would.  They'll  jest  all  take  to  her: 
you  see  if  they  don't.  And  it's  a  real  sensible  thing 
for  the  children  to  do.  I've  been  thinking  o'  doing  the 
same  thing  myself.  There's  lots  o'  money  to  be  made 
off  eggs." 


WET  MOUNTAIN    VALLEY  197 

Billy  was  unconvinced ;  but  he  was  too  wise  to  say  so. 

"  Well,  well,"  he  said,  "  we  shall  see.  I'll  go  up 
with  her  to-day,  and  tell  her  which  houses  are  the  best 
houses  to  go  to.  If  she's  going  to  do  it  regular,  she'd 
better  have  regular  houses,  and  not  be  a  gaddin'  all 
about  town,  knockin'  at  doors.  Oh,  I  tell  you,  Luce,  it 
just  cuts  me !  I  can 't  stand  it. ' ' 

"  Well,  I  don't  see  nothin'  so  very  dreadful  in  it,"  re- 
plied Lucinda.  "  The  gal's  got  the  sense  of  a  woman: 
she'll  look  out  for  herself  as  well  as  if  she  was  twenty; 
and  there's  lot's  o'  money  to  be  made  off  eggs;  I  tell 
you  that." 

Nelly  trudged  along  by  Billy's  side  as  cheery  as  a 
lark.  She  showed  him  a  little  brown-silk  bag  she  had 
to  bring  home  the  money  in;  it  was  in  a  pocket  in  her 
petticoat,  and  she  had  to  lift  up  her  gown  to  get  at  it. 

I  i  Mamma  put  that  in  yesterday, ' '  she  said :  "  I  asked 
her  to.     I  saw  a  lady  in  the  cars  once,  Mrs.  Williams: 
such  a  beautiful  lady,  —  she  gave  me  that  big  wax  doll. 
She  carried  all  her  money  in  a  pocket  in  her  petticoat, 
under  her  gown;    because,  she  said,  nobody  could  get 
at  that  to  steal  it." 

Billy  laughed  immoderately.  The  idea  of  a  little 
girl's  pocket  being  picked  on  the  road  from  Rosita  down 
into  Wet  Mountain  Valley  was  very  droll. 

II  Well,  Nelly,"  he  said,  "  you've  got  a  long  head  o' 
your  own;    but  I  reckon  you  took  a  little  more  pains 
than  you  needed  to,  that  time.    Nobody's  goin'  to  think 
o'  such  a  thing  as  pickin'  your  pocket  here." 

"  Mamma  thought  it  was  a  very  good  plan,"  said 
Nelly,  with  an  air  of  dignity;  "  and  I  think  so  too. 
Men  can't  tell  about  women's  pockets:  pockets  in  trou- 
sers are  much  harder  to  get  at."  At  which  Billy  only 
laughed  the  harder;  and  at  night,  when  he  went  home 
and  told  Lucinda,  he  had  another  fit  of  laughter  over  it. 

"  To  think  o'  that  little  mite  standin'  out  to  me  that 


198  NELLY'S    SILVER   MINE 

I  couldn't  jedge  about  women's  pockets,  pockets  in  trou- 
sers was  so  different !  Oh,  Lord !  ' '  said  Billy,  stretching 
his  long  legs  out  on  the  wooden  settee:  "  I  thought  I 
should  ha'  died.  You  was  right  though,  Luce,  about  the 
men.  I'll  own  up.  That  child  can  go  from  eend  to  eend 
o'  thet  town's  safe's  if  she  was  one  o'  the  Lord's  angels 
in  white,  —  if  that 's  what  they  wear,  —  an '  wings  on 
her  shoulders:  only  I  never  did  believe  much  in  the 
wings.  But  you  oughter've  seen  how  the  men  looked  at 
her.  You  know  she's  got  a  different  look  about  her 
somehow  from  most  gals :  she  ain  't  pretty,  but  you  can 't 
take  your  eyes  off  her ;  an '  she 's  so  pretty  spoken :  that 
does  it,  more  'n  her  looks.  "When  we  come  by  the  stamp- 
mill,  at  noon,  the  men  was  all  pourin'  out;  and  afore 
I  knew  it  we  was  right  in  the  midst  on  'em :  a  runnin ' 
an'  cuffin'  and  tumblin'  each  other,  and  not  choosin' 
their  words  much.  Nelly  she  took  right  hold  o'  my 
hand,  but  she  never  said  nothin'. 

' '  '  Hullo,  sis, '  sez  Jake  Billings ;  and  he  pushed  her 
little  sun-bonnet  back  off  her  head.  I  declare  I'd  a 
notion  to  knock  him  over;  but  Nelly  she  looked  up  at 
him  an'  jest  laughed  a  little,  and  sez  she:  — 

"  *  Oh,  please,  sir,  don't:  you'll  make  me  drop  my 
eggs.'  And  he  looked  as  ashamed  as  I  ever  see  a  man. 
And  he  put  her  bonnet  right  back  on  her  head  agin, 
and  sez  he :  — 

1  i  i  Let  me  carry  'em :  won 't  ye,  sis  ?  ' 

"  Ye  see  she  wouldn't  let  me  so  much's  touch  the 
basket  all  the  way,  though  I  kept  askin'.  She  said  she 
was  goin '  to  carry  it  always,  an '  she  might  as  well  begin ; 
an'  it  wan't  heavy;  but  I  know  'twas,  for  all  her  sayin' 
'twan't,  heavy,  that  is,  for  her  little  pipes  o'  arms. 

1  (  '  No,  thank  you, '  said  she  to  Jake :  (  Billy  wanted  to 
carry  them  for  me;  but  I  wouldn't  let  him.  I  like  to 
carry  them  all  the  way  myself,  to  see  if  I  can.  I  'm  going 
to  come  every  week,  perhaps  twice  a  week.' 


WET   MOUNTAIN    VALLEY  199 

1 '  l  Be  ye  ?  '  said  Jake.  *  Whose  little  gal  are  ye,  and 
where  do  ye  live?  ' 

"  Then  I  told  him  all  about  her  folks;  and  all  the 
rest  o'  the  men  they  walked  along  with  us  's  quiet  and 
steady  you  wouldn't  ha'  known  'em;  and  Jake  he  took 
her  right  into  that  Swede's  house,  you  know:  Jan,  the 
one  that  boards  some  o'  the  hands." 

"  Oh,  yes!  "  said  Lucinda;  "  and  Ulrica,  his  wife's 
the  nicest  woman  among  the  whole  set." 

"  Well,"  continued  Billy,  "  Jake  he  took  her  right 
in  there.  '  Jan  '11  buy  all  your  eggs, '  sez  he :  '  he 's  allers 
wantin'  eggs.'  I  followed  on:  Nelly  she  was  goin'  with 
Jake,  jest  as  if  she'd  ha'  known  him  all  her  life;  but 
she  looked  back,  an'  sez,  in  that  little  voice  o'  hern,  jest 
like  the  sweetest  fiddle  I  ever  heard :  — 

"  '  Come  along,  Billy,'  sez  she,  '  and  see  if  I  can't 
sell  eggs.' 

"  An'  as  soon  as  she  got  inter  the  house,  she  walked 
right  up  to  Ulrica,  and  held  out  her  basket,  and  sez :  — 

"  *  Would  you  like  to  buy  some  eggs  to-day,  ma'am? 
I'm  selling  'em  for  my  papa  and  mamma:  and  they're 
thirty  cents  a  dozen.' 

"  Ulrica  don't  understand  English  much,  and  Nelly's 
words  didn't  sound  like  the  English  she  was  used  to; 
an'  she  couldn't  make  her  out:  but  Jan  he  stepped  up, 
and  explained  to  her;  and  then  Ulrica  took  hold  o' 
Nelly's  long  braids  o'  hair,  and  lifted  'em  up,  and  said 
something  to  Jan  in  their  own  language;  an'  he  nodded 
his  head,  an '  looked  at  Nelly  real  loving :  and  sez  he  to 
me,  in  a  whisper  like :  — 

*  *' '  The  wife  thinks  she  looks  like  our  little  Ulrica : 
and  she  ain't  unlike  her,  that's  true;  though  she's  big- 
ger'n  our  little  girl  was  when  she  died.' 

"  All  this  time  Nelly  was  a  lookin'  from  one  to  the 
other  on  'em  with  her  steady  eyes,  an'  makin'  em  out. 
They  took  all  her  eggs;  but  the  butter  they  said  she'd 


200  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

better  take  up  to  Mr.  Clapp 's,  the  owner  oj  the  Black 
Bull  Mine.  Mis  Clapp  was  very  particular  about  her 
butter,  an'  'd  give  a  good  price  for  it.  So  we  went  up 
to  his  house;  and  just  as  soon  as  Mis  Clapp  sot  her 
eyes  on  Nelly,  I  could  see  how  she  took  to  her,  by  the 
way  she  spoke:  an'  she  took  the  butter  and  paid  her 
the  eighty  cents;  and  you'd  oughter  seen  Nelly  a 
liftin'  up  her  caliker  gown  to  get  to  her  petticoat,  and 
drawin '  out  her  little  silk  bag,  an '  putting  in  the  money, 
—  countin'  it  all  as  keerful  as  any  old  woman.  Mis 
Clapp  she  laughed,  and  sez  she  :  — 

"  *  You're  a  real  little  business  woman:   ain't  you?  ' 

"  *  Yes'm,'  sez  Nelly,  as  grave  as  a  jedge,  '  I'm 
goin'  to  be.  Would  you  like  some  more  butter  next 
week  1  I  can  bring  some  on  Saturday. ' 

"  Then  Mis  Clapp  she  jest  engaged  three  pounds  a 
week  regular :  an '  Nelly  thought  that  'd  be  all  they  could 
spare  now." 

"  Pshaw!  "  interrupted  Lucinda;  "  Mis  March  ain't 
no  hand  to  skimp:  but  they  might  spare  four's  well's 
not." 

*  *  Well, ' '  said  Billy,  ' '  I  guess  they  will  when  they  see 
the  money  a  comin'  in  so  easy.  That'll  be  one  dollar 
and  sixty  cents  a  week;  and  the  eggs '11  be  say  one 
dollar  an '  eighty  more :  that  '11  putty  nigh  keep  'em  in 
meat  'n'  flour.  I'm  real  glad  they  thought  on't.  But 
I  expect  it  goes  agin  Mr.  March  dreadful.  That  gal's 
the  apple  o'  his  eye:  that's  what  she  is." 

"  Well,  he  might  go  hisself,  then,"  said  Lucinda, 
scornfully,  "  if  he  thinks  it's  too  lowerin'  for  his  gal: 
I  don't  see  nothin'  to  be  ashamed  on  in't  myself.  If 
sellin'  is  honorable  business  for  men,  I  don't  see  why  it 
ain  't  for  women  'n '  gals. ' ' 

"  Now,  Luce,"  exclaimed  Billy,  "  don't  be  contrary. 
You  know's  well's  I  do  what  I  mean.  There's  plenty 
o'  things  you  don't  want  gals  to  do  that's  honorable 


WET  MOUNTAIN    VALLEY  201 

enough,  so  fur's  thet  goes.  But  I  must  tell  ye  what 
Ulrica  did  's  we  were  comin'  out  o'  town.  There  she 
stood  waitin'  in  her  door.  She'd  been  watchin'  for  us 
all  the  arternoon;  an'  's  soon's  she  see  us,  she  began 
a  beckonin '  and  a  callin ' ;  an '  we  crossed  over,  'n '  there 
she  hed  a  little  picture  o'  their  gal  that  was  dead;  an' 
sez  she,  holdin '  it  up  to  me  an '  pointin '  to  Nelly :  — 

"  '  Is  it  not  the  same  face?  Do  you  not  see  she  haf 
the  same  face  as  mine  child  ?  '  And  then  she  gave  Nelly 
such  a  hug  and  kiss,  and  Nelly  she  kissed  her  back  just 
as  kind 's  could  be,  and  sez  she :  — 

"  '  I  am  glad  I  look  like  your  little  girl;  but  you 
mustn't  cry,  or  I  shall  not  come  again.' 

11  l  Oh,  yes,  yes,  come  again:  all  days  come  again!  ' 
sez  Ulrica:  and  she  was  cryin'  too  all  the  time.  Then 
she  gave  Nelly  a  paper  bag  full  of  queer  little  square 
cakes  with  a  picture  stamped  on  'em.  They  have  'em 
at  Christmas,  she  said,  in  her  country.  Nelly  wan't  fur 
takin'  'em;  but  I  nudged  her,  'n'  told  her  to  take  'em, 
—  Ulrica 'd  be  hurt  if  she  didn't.  After  we  got  away 
from  the  house,  Nelly  sez  to  me,  kind  o'  solemn,  sez 
she:  — 

"  *  Billy,  I  don't  like  to  look  like  so  many  dead  little 
girls.  Isn't  it  queer?  That  was  what  Mrs.  Williams 
said,  —  that  nice  lady :  she  used  to  cry,  and  say  I  looked 
like  her  little  girl  that  was  dead;  and  now  it's  a  little 
girl  way  off  in  Sweden.  Isn't  it  queer?  " 

'  *  But  I  tried  to  put  it  out  of  her  head ;  but  she  kept 
talking  about  it  all  the  way.  I  think  people  needn't 
say  such  things  to  children;  it  jest  makes  'em  gloomy 
for  nothing. ' ' 

The  account  Nelly  gave  to  her  father  and  mother  of 
her  day  in  Rosita  was  almost  as  graphic  as  Billy's.  She 
had  thoroughly  enjoyed  the  day.  She  was  pretty  tired ; 
but  not  too  much  so  to  have  a  fine  scamper  with  Rob 
and  the  pet  deer  in  the  paddock  after  tea.  And  the  air 


202  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

castles  that  she  and  Rob  built  that  night  after  they  had 
gone  to  bed  were  many  stories  high.  Nelly  was  sure  that 
if  her  mother  would  only  make  butter  enough,  and  her 
father  would  buy  some  more  hens,  she  could  earn  all  the 
money  they  needed  to  have. 

"  Why,  Rob,"  she  said,  "  you  see  I  had  more  than 
two  dollars  to-day;  and  the  basket  wasn't  a  bit  heavy: 
I  could  have  carried  twice  as  much.  If  I  could  make 
four  dollars  each  day,  don't  you  see  how  soon  it  would 
be  hundreds  of  dollars?  hundreds,  Rob!  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Rob;  "  and  I  could  make  as  much  more 
by  the  trout:  and  there  would  be  hundreds  and  hun- 
dreds. And  strawberries,  Nell!  Strawberries!  why 
couldn't  we  sell  strawberries?  Old  Mr.  Pine  said  we 
could  have  all  we  could  pick." 

"  I  thought  of  that,"  replied  Nelly:  "  but  we  haven't 
any  horses  now  to  carry  us  over  there.  You  know  we 
always  went  in  the  wagon." 

"  Pooh!  "  said  Rob,  "  we  could  go  just  as  well  in  the 
ox-cart. ' ' 

' '  But  wouldn  't  it  take  all  day  to  get  there  ?  ' '  said  the 
wise  Nelly:  "  to  get  there  and  back?  " 

"Oh,"  said  Rob,  "  I  never  thought  of  that.  Perhaps 
Mr.  Schofield  would  lend  us  his  horses  some  day." 

* '  I  don't  believe  papa  would  —  like  —  to  —  borrow, ' ' 
said  Nelly,  drowsily;  and  in  a  second  more  she  was 
sound  asleep. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  March,  also,  were  building  some  air 
castles,  resting  on  the  same  foundations  as  Rob's  and 
Nelly's.  Nelly's  happy  and  animated  face  when  she 
returned,  and  her  enthusiastic  account  of  her  day's 
work,  had  surprised  both  her  father  and  mother. 

' '  I  thought  she  would  be  so  tired  out  she  would  never 
want  to  go  again, ' '  said  Mrs.  March ;  ' '  but  she  is  full  of 
the  idea  of  going  twice  a  week,  all  the  time." 

1  i  The  exercise  is  not  bad  for  her, ' '  replied  Mr.  March, 


WET   MOUNTAIN    VALLEY  203 

hesitatingly:  "  I  have  no  fears  about  that.  And  I  sup- 
pose it  is  a  false  pride  which  makes  me  shrink  so  from 
letting  her  carry  about  things  to  sell.  We  are  very  poor, 
and  we  do  need  the  money;  and  the  child's  impulse  to 
help  us  is  a  true  and  noble  one;  but  I  can't  be  wholly 
reconciled  to  the  idea  yet.  If  we  do  permit  it,  I  shall 
keep  an  exact  account  of  every  penny  the  dear  child 
brings  into  this  house;  and,  if  we  are  ever  in  comfort- 
able circumstances  again,  I  shall  pay  it  all  back  to  her 
with  interest.  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  that." 

' '  It  will  be  a  nice  fund  to  pay  for  her  having  a  year 
or  two  at  some  good  school,  when  she  is  older,"  said 
Mrs.  March,  cheerfully;  tl  and  I  do  not  feel  as  you  do 
about  her  selling  things.  I  think  it  will  never  do  her 
the  least  harm  in  any  way.  Some  of  the  best  and 
noblest  people  in  the  world  have  gone  through  just  such 
struggles  in  their  youth.  I  see  no  disgrace  in  it :  not 
the  least;  and  I  have  perfect  faith  in  Nelly's  good  be- 
havior under  all  circumstances." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  March,  "  she  can  be  trusted  any- 
where. I  only  wish  Rob  had  half  her  steadiness  of 
head." 

"  Rob  will  come  out  all  right,"  said  Mrs.  March: 
"  you  don't  do  justice  to  him.  His  heart  is  in  the  right 
place. ' ' 

Mr.  March  laughed. 

"  You  never  will  hear  a  word  against  Rob,"  said  he. 

"'Nor  you  against  Nelly,"  replied  Mrs.  March. 
"  Now  I  think  Nelly's  obstinacy  is  quite  as  serious  a 
fault  as  Rob's  hasty  impulsiveness." 

"  Nelly's  obstinacy!  "  exclaimed  Mr.  March:  "  what 
do  you  mean?  I  never  saw  a  trace  of  it." 

"  No :  you  never  would, ' '  said  Mrs.  March,  ' '  because 
you  never  have  occasion  to  deal  with  her  in  little  mat- 
ters. To  me  she  is  always  obedient;  but  with  Rob  she 
is  as  unyielding  as  a  rock  in  the  most  trifling  matters. 


204  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

When  they  were  little  it  was  quite  different,  —  while  he 
was  ill  so  much,  you  know ;  then  she  used  to  give  up  to 
him  so  much  I  thought  it  would  spoil  him.  But  now  she 
literally  rules  the  boy;  and  I  can't  help  it.  Why,  the 
other  day  they  had  a  really  serious  quarrel  as  to  where 
their  hair-brushes  should  be  kept.  I  don't  know  what 
made  Rob  stand  out  so :  usually  he  gives  up.  I  did  not 
interfere,  because  I  wish  them  to  settle  all  such  matters 
themselves ;  but  I  heard  Nelly  say :  — 

* '  '  Rob  March !  you  can  move  those  hair-brushes  just 
as  often  as  you  please :  it  won  't  make  the  least  differ- 
ence. I  shall  move  them  right  back  again  into  this 
drawer,  if  it's  every  day  of  your  life  till  you're  fifty 
years  old !  ' 

"  *  I  sha  'n  't  live  with  you  when  I  'm  fifty, '  said  Rob : 
'  so  you'll  have  to  leave  off  before  then.  And  I  won't 
have  the  hair-brush  box  in  the  drawer.  It  doesn't  look 
bad  on  the  top  of  the  bureau ;  and  I  want  it  where  I  can 
get  at  it  easy.' 

"  *  I'll  take  it  out  for  you,'  said  Nelly,  *  as  often  as 
you  want  it,  if  you're  too  lazy;  but  it's  going  to  be  in 
the  drawer.'  ' 

Mr.  March  laughed  heartily. 

"  Well,  wasn't  Nelly  right?  "  he  said.  "  If  I  recol- 
lect right,  the  box  is  a  shabby  old  box,  much  better  out 
of  sight." 

' '  Oh !  of  course  you  'd  take  Nelly 's  part, ' '  said  Mrs. 
March,  half  playfully,  half  in  earnest. 

"  Well,  which  won?  "  said  Mr.  March. 

"  Oh,  Nelly,  of  course.  She  always  does,"  replied 
Mrs.  March. 

"I'm  glad  of  it,"  laughed  Mr.  March.  And  there 
the  conversation  dropped. 

The  next  day  Nelly  followed  her  father  out  to  the 
barn  after  breakfast. 

"  Papa,"  said  she,  "  I  want  to  ask  you  something. ': 


WET   MOUNTAIN    VALLEY  205 

"  What  is  it,  little  daughter?  "  he  replied. 

"  If  I  could  get  four  dollars  each  time  I  went  to 
Rosita,  and  should  go  twice  every  week,  how  much  would 
that  be  in  a  year?  "  said  Nelly. 

11  Four  hundred  dollars,  my  child,"  replied  Mr. 
March. 

"  Is  not  that  a  good  deal  of  money?  "  said  Nelly: 
"  wouldn't  it  buy  almost  all  we  want?  " 

' '  It  would  buy  enough  food  for  us  to  eat,  dear, ' '  said 
Mr.  March :  l '  not  much  more  than  that. ' ' 

' '  Well,  Rob  could  get  a  good  deal  for  trout  too, ' '  said 
Nelly,  resolutely:  "  he's  going  to  fish,  next  week:  and 
they're  forty  cents  for  one  pound;  and  I'm  going  to 
take  Rob  up  with  me,  the  next  time,  and  show  him  how 
to  sell  things.  It  is  very  easy." 

' '  Do  you  like  it,  Nell,  —  really  like  it  ?  "  said  her 
father. 

"  Oh,  yes!  "  replied  Nelly;  "it's  splendid!  It's  the 
nicest  thing  I  ever  did.  I  like  to  see  the  people,  and  to 
count  the  money;  and  then  it  is  so  nice  to  help  too, 
papa !  Oh !  you  will  let  us  help  :  won 't  you  ?  ' 3 

"  Yes,  my  child,  we  will  let  you  help  us  this  summer, 
because  we  are  really  very  poor  just  now;  but  I  hope 
next  year  we  will  not  be  in  such  straits.  You  and  Rob 
are  dear,  good  children  to  want  to  work.  Papa  will 
never  forget  it." 

Nelly  put  her  hand  in  her  father's,  and  walked  along 
in  silence  by  his  side  for  a  few  minutes.  Then  suddenly 
catching  sight  of  Rob  in  the  field,  she  exclaimed :  — 

' ;  Oh !  there 's  Rob  going  down  to  the  creek  now  to 
fish.  I  will  go  and  tell  him  it  is  all  settled.  I  can  help 
him  fish.  I  shall  put  the  grasshoppers  on  the  hook:  I 
hate  it,  and  I  said  I'd  never  do  it  again;  but  now  that 
it's  for  the  money,  I  shall."  And  she  ran  off  as  fast 
as  she  could,  to  join  Rob. 

All  that  morning,  Rob  fished  and  Nelly  stuck  grass- 


206  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

hoppers  on  the  hooks  for  him.  At  noon,  they  were 
miles  away  from  the  house:  they  had  followed  up  the 
creek  without  noticing  how  far  they  were  going. 

' '  Oh,  dear !  ' '  said  Rob,  looking  up  at  the  sun,  ' '  look 
at  that  old  sun:  he's  just  galloped  all  this  morning.  I 
think  his  horses  are  running  away.  Did  papa  show  you 
that  picture  of  him  in  the  '  Mythology  '?  It  was  a 
splendid  man,  in  a  chariot,  standing  up,  and  driving 
four  horses.  They  thought  the  sun  was  really  a  man. 
Say,  Nell,  let's  don't  go  home  yet." 

"  I'm  so  hungry!  "  said  Nelly,  whose  share  of  the 
amusement  was  not  so  exciting  as  Rob's. 

' '  Pshaw !  ' '  said  Rob :  "  I  wonder  what 's  the  reason 
girls  get  hungry  so  much  sooner  than  boys. ' ' 

"  They  don't,"  said  Nelly,  doggedly:  "  they've  got 
stomachs  just  alike.  You're  as  hungry  now  as  you  can 
be ;  only  you  won 't  say  so.  I  know  you  are. ' ' 

Rob  did  not  deny  it;  in  fact,  as  soon  as  Nelly  had 
said  the  word  ' '  hungry, ' '  he  had  begun  to  feel  a  dread- 
ful gnawing  in  the  region  of  his  stomach. 

"I'll  tell  you,  Nell,"  he  exclaimed:  "  we'll  cook  a 
trout  on  a  hot  stone.  I  know  how.  Billy  did  it  one  day 
last  summer.  You  just  get  a  lot  of  dried  sticks  and 
things,  and  pile  them  up ;  and  I  '11  find  a  flat  stone. ' ' 

In  a  few  minutes,  they  had  a  big  fire,  and  a  large  flat 
stone  standing  up  in  the  hottest  part  of  the  blaze. 

*  There !  ' '  said  Rob,  rubbing  his  hands :  ' l  now  you  '11 
see  a  dinner  fit  for  a  king.    We  '11  have  a  trout  apiece. ' ' 

"  Good  big  ones!  "  said  Nelly.  "  How  do  you  tell 
when  the  stone  is  hot  enough?  " 

"  Oh !  if  it  burns  a  stick  to  hold  it  on  it,  it 's  too  hot, 
and  you  let  it  cool  a  while, ' '  replied  Rob,  with  a  patron- 
izing tone;  as  much  as  to  say,  "  Girls  did  not  know 
much  about  cooking  on  hot  stones. ' ' 

Girls  knew  more  about  getting  hot  stones  out  of  fires, 
however,  than  boys  did,  in  this  instance.  Poor  Rob 


WET   MOUNTAIN    VALLEY  207 

burnt  his  fingers  badly,  trying  to  pull  the  stone  out  by 
taking  hold  of  it  with  a  handful  of  thick  green  leaves. 

"  Oh,  Rob!  Bob!  "  screamed  Nelly:  "  you'll  burn 
you!  " 

But  it  was  too  late.  Rob  had  grasped  the  stone  with 
all  his  usual  impetuosity,  and  the  leaves  had  shrivelled 
up  instantly,  like  cobwebs,  the  stone  was  so  hot.  He 
let  it  fall  back  into  the  fire,  and  danced  about,  shaking 
his  burnt  fingers,  and  screwing  up  his  face  very  hard, 
to  keep  from  crying. 

"  Oh,  that  was  too  bad,  Rob!  "  cried  Nelly.  "  Why 
didn't  you  let  me  get  it  out?  ': 

' '  You  get  it  out !  ' '  cried  Rob,  quite  angry ;  ' '  you 
get  it  out!  I'd  like  to  see  you!  That's  the  way  Billy 
took  his  out.  There  isn  't  any  other  way. ' ' 

Nelly  had  run  off  a  few  steps  for  a  big  stick.  Pres- 
ently she  came  back;  and,  without  saying  a  word  to 
Rob,  put  the  end  of  the  stick  under  the  stone,  and  lifted 
it  up  and  rolled  it  over  and  over,  till  she  had  it  entirely 
out  of  the  ashes  and  hot  brands,  and  on  a  smooth,  clean 
place  in  the  grass.  Then  she  took  a  little  twig,  and  held 
it  close  to  the  stone,  to  see  if  it  were  still  too  hot.  The 
twig  smoked. 

"Oh!  it's  lots  too  hot,"  said  Rob,  meekly.  "  What 
made  you  think  of  that  way  of  getting  it  out,  Nell  ?  ' : 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Nelly:  "  your  burning  your 
fingers,  I  guess." 

Then  they  cut  open  two  nice  trout,  and  Rob  scraped 
them  clean  with  his  knife ;  and,  as  soon  as  the  stone  was 
cool  enough,  they  laid  them  on  the  hot  stone.  Oh,  how 
good  they  smelled  as  soon  as  they  began  to  cook,  and 
the  fat  began  to  ooze  out!  When  the  under  side  was 
nice  and  brown,  Rob  turned  them  over  with  two  sticks 
carefully ;  and,  in  a  few  minutes  more,  they  were  done. 
Then  he  stuck  a  pointed  stick  through  the  biggest  one, 
and  handed  it  very  politely  to  Nelly,  saying :  — 


208  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

11  Won't  you  be  helped  to  some  fish,  Miss  Nelly 
March?  " 

Nelly  held  out  two  pointed  sticks  to  take  it ;  and  then 
she  ran  round  and  round  with  it,  for  a  minute,  to  cool 
it ;  and  then  she  took  it  by  the  tail  and  ate  it  up  in  less 
time  than  it  has  taken  to  write  this  page.  Rob  ate  his 
more  slowly. 

"  Oh !   I  wish  we  had  cooked  four, ' '  said  Nelly. 

Rob  looked  at  his  basket.  It  was  not  much  more 
than  half  full. 

"  I  can't  fish  any  more,"  he  said:  "  my  fingers  hurt 
so.  Don't  let's  eat  up  any  more.  We  can  have  a  good 
supper  when  we  get  home.  Let 's  keep  all  these  to  sell. ' ' 

"  Of  course  we  will,  Rob,"  said  Nelly,  quite  ashamed: 
"  I  was  a  pig." 

11  Pigs  don't  eat  trout,  I  guess,"  said  Rob,  laughing. 

"  No,"  said  Nelly;  ll  but  they  always  want  more.  I 
was  a  real  pig.  Now  let's  hurry  home.  I'm  afraid 
we're  a  long  way  off." 

' '  Well,  they  know  we  're  fishing, ' '  said  Rob :  ' '  they 
won't  worry.  It's  good  mamma's  got  over  worrying 
about  my  falling  into  the  creek." 


CHAPTER   X 

ROB   AND  NELLY  GO  INTO   BUSINESS 

nnHEY  were  indeed  a  long  way  from  home;  much 
I  farther  than  they  dreamed.  It  was  past  four 
o'clock  when  they  reached  the  house,  and  Mrs.  March 
had  begun  to  be  a  little  anxious  about  them.  She  was 
much  pleased  when  she  saw  the  basket  of  trout. 

"  Oh,  what  a  nice  supper  we  will  have!  "  she  ex- 
claimed. 

Rob  and  Nelly  looked  at  each  other  and  at  her. 

"  Oh,  mamma!  "  Nelly  began,  but  checked  herself  at 
once,  and  looked  again  at  Rob. 

"  Why,  what  is  the  matter,  children?  "  said  Mrs. 
March. 

"  Nothing.  You  can  have  them  if  you  want  them," 
said  Rob,  rather  forlornly. 

"  Why,  child,  what  else  did  you  get  them  for?  "  ex- 
claimed their  mother,  who  had  forgotten  all  about  Rob 's 
plan  of  selling  trout. 

"  To  sell,"  said  Rob.  "  There's  as  many  as  four 
pounds  there,  I  guess:  that's  most  two  dollars;  but 
you  can  have  them.  I  don't  care.  I'll  go  get  some 
more  to-morrow,  if  my  hand's  well." 

"  Oh!  "  said  Mrs.  March,  "  I  had  forgotten  about  it. 
So  you  mean  to  be  a  little  fish-merchant,  do  you  ?  ' ! 

'  Yes.  Nelly's  an  egg-merchant,  an  egg  and  butter 
merchant;  and  I'm  going  to  be  a  fish  and  fruit  mer- 
chant: and  we're  going  to  take  care  of  you  and  papa 


210  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

that  way,"  said  Rob,  in  an  excited  tone.  "  And  I  was 
going  to  begin  to-morrow;  but  I  can  begin  next  day, 
just  as  well:  let's  have  these  for  supper;  they're  splen- 
did; we've  cooked  two  already." 

The  tears  came  into  Mrs.  March's  eyes. 

"  We'll  ask  papa,  and  see  what  he  says,"  she  said. 
"  If  we're  really  going  to  be  merchants,  we  mustn't 
eat  up  all  our  goods:  that's  certain.  But  what  fruits 
do  you  propose  to  deal  in,  Mr.  March?  Fruits  seem  to 
me  rather  scarce  in  this  valley." 

"  Oh!  strawberries,  next  month,"  said  Rob;  "  and 
then  raspberries,  and  then  wild  currants,  and  then  wild 
grapes.  There  are  lots  and  lots  of  them  on  the  creek, 
you  know.  And  we  can  get  carried  up  to  Mr.  Pine's, 
and  pick  berries  up  above  his  ranch.  He  said  we  might 
have  all  we  could  pick." 

When  they  asked  Mr.  March  about  the  trout,  he 
laughed,  and  said :  — 

"  I  think  we  must  take  a  vote  of  all  the  partners. 
This  family  is  a  partnership  now;  the  '  March  firm  ' 
we  must  call  ourselves;  four  partners,  all  working  to 
make  money  for  the  firm:  now  let's  vote.  All  that  are 
in  favor  of  eating  the  trout  for  supper,  hold  up  their 
right  hand." 

Nobody's  hand  went  up  but  Rob's. 

"  Three  against  you,  Rob,"  said  his  father:  "  you'll 
have  to  go  without  your  trout  this  time.  It  is  voted  by 
a  majority  of  the  firm  that  the  trout  be  sold." 

"  I  didn't  want  "  -Rob  began,  but  checked  himself, 
and  looked  at  his  mother.  She  nodded  and  smiled,  but 
said  nothing.  A  little  while  afterward,  when  she  found 
Rob  alone,  she  put  her  arms  round  him,  and  kissed  him, 
and  said :  — 

11  I  understood  about  the  trout,  Rob.  You  thought 
I  wanted  some  for  my  supper:  didn't  you?  " 

"  Yes,  mamma,"  said  Rob:  "  that  was  it.     I  didn't 


NELLY    GOES   INTO    BUSINESS  211 

care  so  much  about  them;  but  it  seemed  awful  mean 
to  keep  you  from  having  them.  Nelly  and  I  had  each 
had  one;  they  were  splendid.  Next  time  I'll  just  catch 
one  basketful  to  sell,  and  one  to  eat." 

The  next  day,  Rob  and  Nelly  set  off  together  at  six 
o'clock  for  Rosita:  Rob  with  his  trout,  and  Nelly  with 
eggs  and  butter.  They  stopped  a  minute  to  speak  to 
Lucinda  and  Billy,  as  they  passed  their  house.  Billy 
was  not  there.  He  had  gone  to  work  for  Mr.  Pine, 
Lucinda  said,  and  would  not  be  at  home  for  a  week. 

"  You  like  it:   don't  you,  Nelly?  "  she  said. 

"  Yes,  indeed!  "  said  Nelly:  "  I  think  it's  fun.  And 
the  people  are  all  so  kind:  that  Swede  woman  kissed 
me  because  I  look  so  much  like  her  little  girl.  I  am 
going  there  again  to-day.  They  keep  boarders,  you 
know ;  and  she  wants  eggs  every  time  I  come,  she  said. 
I  thought  perhaps  they'd  take  Rob's  trout  too." 

' '  Oh,  no !  they  won 't, ' '  said  Lucinda.  ' '  Trout  is  too 
dear  eatin'  for  such  boarders  's  they  keep.  You  take 
the  trout  right  up  to  Miss  Clapp's.  She'll  take  'em  all, 
an'  as  many  more  's  you  can  ketch." 

By  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  the  children  were  at 
Lucinda 's  door  again.  They  both  ran  in  shouting:  — 

' '  Lucinda !  Lucinda !  we  've  sold  every  thing ;  and 
we  Ve  got  five  dollars  and  seventy-five  cents !  Now 
what  do  you  say?  Won't  mamma  be  glad?  Couldn't 
anybody  get  very  rich  this  way,  if  they  only  kept  on? 
Isn't  it  splendid?  " 

"  You  dear  little  innocent  lambs,"  said  Lucinda: 
"  it's  much  you  know  about  gettin'  rich,  or  bein' 
poor. ' ' 

66  Why,  we  are  poor  now;  very,  very  poor:  papa 
said  so,"  interrupted  Nelly.  "  That's  the  reason  he 
lets  us  sell  things." 

' '  Oh,  well !  your  pa  don 't  know  nothin '  about  bein ' 
real  poor, ' '  said  Lucinda :  *  *  and  I  don 't  suppose  he  ever 


212  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

will;  but  it's  a  good  thing  you're  a  bringin'  in  some- 
thin  '  this  year.  It 's  a  dreadful  year  on  everybody. ' ' 

"  Yes;  papa  said  we  were  a  real  help,"  said  Nelly: 
11  he  said  so  last  night." 

"  Luce,"  exclaimed  Rob,  "  what  do  you  think  Jan 
is  going  to  make  for  us  ?  He 's  taken  the  measure  of  us 
to-day;  he  showed  us  a  picture  of  a  man  and  a  woman 
with  them  on.  They're  real  nice  to  carry  things  with: 
you  don't  feel  the  weight  a  bit,  he  says.  In  his  country, 
everybody  wears  them  on  their  shoulders,  —  everybody 
that  has  any  thing  heavy  to  carry.  They're  something 
like  our  ox-yoke,  —  only  with  a  straight  piece,  that 
comes  out;  and  we  can  hang  a  basket  on  each  end,  and 
run  along  just  as  if  we  weren't  carrying  any  thing. 
They're  real  nice  folks,  Jan  and  his  wife.  They're  the 
nicest  folks  in  Rosita. " 

11  Oh!  not  so  nice  as  Mrs.  Clapp,  Rob,"  said  Nelly. 

' '  Yes,  they  are  too ;  lots  nicer.  They  don 't  speak 
so  fine  and  mincing :  but  I  like  them  lots  better;  they're 
some  fun.  And  Luce,"  he  continued,  "  they've  got  a  pic- 
ture-book full  of  pictures  of  the  way  people  dress  in 
their  country ;  and  they  let  us  look  at  it.  It  was  splen- 
did. And  Ulrica  she  keeps  taking  hold  of  Nelly's  hair, 
and  lifting  up  the  braids  and  looking  at  them,  and  talk- 
ing to  Jan  in  her  own  language." 

"  It  makes  her  cry,  though,"  said  Nelly.  "  I  wish 
she  wouldn't." 

* '  But  what  is  this  Jan  is  going  to  make  you  ?  ' '  asked 
Lucinda:  "  a  real  yoke,  such  as  I've  seen  the  men  wear 
to  bring  up  two  water-buckets  to  oncet  ?  I  don 't  believe 
your  pa  and  ma '11  let  you  wear  it." 

"  Why  not?  "  said  Nelly:  "  does  it  look  awful  on 
your  shoulders  ?  ' ' 

"  Well,  you  know  how  the  ox-yoke  looks  on  old  Star- 
buckle  and  Jim,"  said  Rob.  "  It's  a  good  deal  like 
that:  I  saw  one  in  the  picture-book." 


NELLY    GOES   INTO    BUSINESS  213 


"  But  we're  not  going  to  be  yoked  together,"  said 
Nelly.  "  It  can't  look  like  that." 

"  No,  no,"  said  Lucinda,  "  not  a  bit.  They're  real 
handy  things.  Lots  o'  the  men  have  them,  to  carry 
water-buckets  up  the  hill  with  in  Rosita.  They  just 
make  'em  out  of  a  bent  sapling,  with  two  hooks  at  each 
end.  You'll  find  them  a  heap  o'  help." 

"  Then  I  shall  wear  it,  no  matter  how  it  looks,"  said 
Nelly,  resolutely. 

' '  We  needn  't  wear  them  in  the  streets, ' '  said  Rob : 
"  we  can  take  them  off  just  outside  the  town,  and  hide 
them  among  the  trees." 

"  Now,  Rob,"  exclaimed  Nelly,  "  I'd  be  ashamed  to 
do  that !  That  would  look  as  if  we  were  too  proud  to  be 
seen  in  them.  I  shall  wear  mine  into  all  the  houses. ' ' 

*  *  Wait  till  you  see  how  it  feels,  Nelly, ' '  said  Lucinda. 
"  Perhaps  you  won't  like  it  so  well  's  you  think." 

When  Nelly  and  Rob  told  their  father  and  mother 
about  the  shoulder-yokes  that  the  Swede  Jan  was  going 
to  make  for  them,  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  laughed 
heartily. 

"  Upon  my  word,"  said  Mr.  March,  "  you  are  going 
to  look  like  little  merchants  in  good  earnest:  aren't 
you?  " 

' '  Don 't  you  suppose  they  will  hurt  your  shoulders  ?  ' : 
asked  Mrs.  March. 

"  Ulrica  said  they  didn't,"  replied  Nelly.  "  She  said 
she  had  worn  one  a  great  deal.  She  puts  a  little  cush- 
ion under  the  place  where  they  come  on  your  neck.  She 
says  we  can  carry  twice  as  much  on  those  as  we  can  in 
our  hands." 

It  was  arranged  now  that  Rob  and  Nelly  should,  for 
the  present,  go  up  to  Rosita  twice  a  week,  on  Tuesdays 
and  Fridays.  Mr.  March  reckoned  that  they  would  be 
able  to  spare  butter  and  eggs  enough  to  bring  them  five 
or  six  dollars  each  week.  The  money  from  the  trout 


214  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

they  did  not  allow  themselves  to  count  on,  because  it 
would  be  uncertain;  but  Rob  made  most  magnificent 
calculations  from  it.  "  Four  dollars  a  week,  at  least," 
he  said ;  ' '  and  that  will  be  one  way  to  pay  off  those  old 
grasshoppers.  I'll  make  a  good  many  of  them  work  for 
us :  see  if  I  don 't !  ' : 

The  next  time  Rob  and  Nelly  went  to  Rosita,  when 
they  bade  their  mother  good-by,  they  said :  — 

"Be  on  the  lookout  for  us,  mamma,  this  afternoon. 
You  11  see  us  coming  down  the  road  with  our  yokes  on. ' ' 

So  Mrs.  March  began  to  watch,  about  three  o'clock; 
and,  sure  enough,  about  four,  there  she  saw  them  com- 
ing down  the  lane  which  led  from  the  main  road  to  their 
house.  They  were  coming  very  fast,  at  a  sort  of  hop- 
skip-and-jump  pace,  but  keeping  step  with  each  other 
exactly.  A  sort  of  slender  pole  seemed  to  be  growing 
out  of  each  shoulder;  from  this  hung  slender  rods,  and 
on  the  end  of  each  rod  was  fastened  a  basket  or  a  pail. 
Rob's  yoke  had  two  pails;  Nelly's  had  two  baskets. 
As  the  children  ran,  they  took  hold  of  the  rods  with 
their  hands,  just  above  the  baskets  and  pails.  This 
steadied  them,  and  also  seemed  to  be  a  sort  of  support 
in  walking.  As  soon  as  the  children  saw  their  mother, 
they  quickened  their  steps,  and  came  into  the  yard 
breathless. 

* '  Oh,  they  are  splendid !  ' ' 

"  Why,  they're  just  as  light  as  any  thing!  " 

* '  They  don 't  hurt  your  neck  a  bit !  ' ' 

"  See  the  nice  baskets  Ulrica  gave  us!  Jan  made 
them  himself  out  of  willows,"  shouted  they,  both  talk- 
ing at  once,  and  each  out  of  breath.  Then  Nelly  slipped 
off  her  yoke,  and,  before  her  mother  knew  what  she  was 
about,  had  tried  to  put  it  on  her  shoulders;  but  her 
mother  was  too  tall :  Nelly  could  not  reach  up. 

"Oh!  do  try  it  on,  mamma,"  she  said:  "  just  to  see 
how  nice  it  is." 


NELLY    GOES   INTO   BUSINESS  215 

Mrs.  March  tried;  but  the  yoke  had  been  carefully 
adjusted  to  Nelly's  slender  little  figure,  and  Mrs.  March 
could  not  put  it  on. 

"  Well,  if  you  only  could,  mamma,  you'd  see  how 
easy  it  is,"  said  Nelly,  slipping  it  on  her  shoulders  again, 
and  racing  down  to  the  gate  to  meet  her  father,  who  was 
just  coming  in. 

Mr.  March  stopped  short,  and  stared  at  Nelly  for  a 
minute. 

"  Why,  Nell,"  he  said,  "  I  did  not  know  what  you 
were.  I  thought  you  were  some  new  kind  of  animal, 
with  horns  growing  out  lengthwise  from  your 
shoulders. ' ' 

"  So  we  are!  so  we  are!  "  shouted  Bob,  running  up 
so  fast  that  the  pails  on  the  rods  of  his  yoke  swung  back 
and  forth  high  up  in  the  air.  "  We  are  the  four-armed 
boy  and  girl  of  Rosita.  They'll  want  us  for  a  show. 
Four  arms  on  a  boy  are  as  wonderful  as  two  heads  on 
a  calf." 

How  Mr.  March  did  laugh!  The  children's  fun  was 
contagious.  He  seized  Rob's  yoke,  and  tried  to  put  it 
on  his  own  shoulders ;  but  it  was  as  much  too  small  for 
him  as  Nelly's  had  been  for  her  mother.  Then  he  sat 
down  on  the  fence,  and  examined  the  yokes  carefully. 
They  were  beautifully  made  out  of  very  slender  young 
aspen-trees,  which  could  be  easily  bent  into  place.  The 
wood  was  almost  white,  and  shone  like  satin:  Jan  had 
rubbed  it  so  long. 

"  He  says  when  the  white  gets  dirty  he  will  paint 
them  for  us,"  said  Nelly:  "  all  bright  colors,  as  they 
have  them  in  Sweden.  But  while  they  keep  clean  they 
are  prettier  white." 

Ulrica  had  put  a  soft  cushion  of  red  cloth  at  the  place 
where  the  yoke  rested  on  the  neck  behind ;  also,  on  each 
rod  just  where  the  hands  grasped  them.  Mrs.  March 
examined  them  carefully. 


216  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

' '  This  is  beautiful  cloth, ' '  she  said :  * '  I  wonder  where 
the  woman  got  it. ' ' 

'  *  Oh !  she  has  a  big  roll  of  it  in  a  chest, ' '  said  Nelly. 
"  I  saw  it;  and  a  big  piece  of  beautiful  blue,  too.  It 
was  made  in  Sweden,  she  says;  and  she  has  a  queer 
gown,  which  was  her  little  girl's  that  is  dead,  all  made 
of  this  red  and  blue  cloth,  with  —  oh !  —  millions  of  little 
silver  buttons  sewed  on  it,  all  down  the  front.  She 
wanted  me  to  try  it  on;  but  I  did  not  like  to.  It  was 
too  small,  too :  not  too  short ;  I  think  it  would  have 
come  down  to  my  feet.  Do  little  girls  in  Sweden  wear 
long  gowns,  like  grown-up  ladies,  mamma?  '! 

"  I  don't  know,  dear,"  said  Mrs.  March. 

"  She  has  some  of  the  little  girl's  hair  in  the  same 
chest;  and  she  took  it  out  and  held  it  close  to  mine." 

"  Yes,"  said  Rob:  "  I  didn't  want  her  to.  How  did 
we  know  she  was  clean  ?  ' 

"  Oh,  for  shame,  Rob!  "  cried  Nelly:  "  they're  all 
as  qlean  as  pins;  you  know  they  are.  But  I  didn't  like 
her  to  do  it,  because  it  made  her  cry." 

After  supper  they  had  a  great  time  deciding  where  to 
keep  the  yokes.  Rob  wanted  them  hung  up  on  the  wall. 

' '  They  look  just  as  pretty  as  the  antlers  old  Mr.  Pine 
has  upon  the  wall  in  his  house,"  said  Rob;  "  and  we 
can't  ever  have  any  antlers,  unless  we  shoot  a  deer  our- 
selves. Mr.  Pine  said  a  man  offered  him  fifty  dollars 
for  them;  but  he  wouldn't  take  it.  I  think  our  yokes 
look  just  about  as  pretty. ' ' 

"  Oh,  Rob!  "  exclaimed  Nelly,  "  how  can  you  talk 
so?  They  are  not  pretty  a  bit;  and  you  know  it!  " 

"  I  don't  either!  "  said  Rob:  "  I  do  think  they're 
pretty;  honest,  I  do." 

While  they  spoke,  Mrs.  March  was  hanging  one  of 
the  yokes  up  on  the  wall,  by  a  bit  of  bright  red  tape, 
tied  in  the  middle.  She  hung  it  quite  low,  between  the 
door  and  the  south  window.  Then  she  hung  Nelly's 


NELLT   GOES   INTO   BUSINESS  217 

sun-bonnet  on  the  nail  above  it,  and  Nelly's  little  red 
shawl  over  one  end  of  the  yoke. 

"  There,"  she  said,  "  you  are  right,  Rob.  It  makes 
quite  a  pretty  hat-rack. ' ' 

"  So  it  does,"  said  Mr.  March.  "  Now  we'll  put  the 
other  one  up  the  other  side  the  door;  and  that  shall  be 
Rob's,  to  hang  his  coat  and  jacket  on." 

"  My  jacket  isn't  pretty,  though,  like  Nell's  shawl," 
said  Rob,  wistfully.  "  Why  don't  men  wear  red  jackets 
in  this  country?  In  that  book  of  Jan's  ever  so  many 
of  the  men  have  red  jackets  on,  with  silver  buttons; 
and  they're  splendid.  Jan  has  one  too  in  the  chest ;  but 
he  doesn't  wear  it  here,  because  it  would  make  the  folks 
laugh,  he  says :  it  is  so  different  from  our  clothes  here. 
He  put  it  on  for  us  while  Ulrica  was  showing  Nelly 
the  little  girl's  gown.  It  did  look  queer;  it  came  down 
most  to  his  knees,  and  had  great  flaps  on  the  side,  and 
big  silver  buttons  on  the  front,  as  big  as  dollars.  But 
it  was  splendid:  a  great  deal  handsomer  than  the  uni- 
form the  Mayfield  guards  wore. ' ' 

When  Billy  came  home  from  Mr.  Pine 's,  Lucinda  told 
him  about  the  yokes  which  Jan  had  made  for  the  chil- 
dren to  wear,  to  carry  their  baskets  and  pails  on.  Billy 
listened  with  a  disturbed  face. 

' '  Miss  March  '11  never  let  'em  wear  'em :   will  she  ?  ' ' 

' i  I  donno, ' '  said  Lucinda :  ' '  Miss  March 's  got  heaps 
o'  sense;  an'  the  children  was  jest  tickled  to  death  with 
them.  They  come  racin'  down  the  hill  with  'em  on,  's 
proud  as  militia-men  on  trainin '-day.  But  how  'twill 
be  about  wearin'  'em  round  town  I  donno." 

"  It'll  never  do  in  the  world,"  said  Billy.  "  The 
boys  '11  all  follow  'em,  and  hoot  and  halloo ;  and  Rob  '11 
be  fightin'  right  an'  left,  the  fust  thing  you  know.  It's 
a  bad  business,  bad  business.  I  donno  what  put  it  into 
that  pesky  Swede's  head,  anyhow." 

"Oh!     jest    to   help    the    children,"    said   Lucinda. 


218  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

%<  From  what  the  children  say,  Jan  an'  his  wife  both 
seem  to  have  kind  o'  adopted  'em.  You  know  how  she 
takes  on  over  Nelly,  'cause  she  looks  so  like  her  own 
little  gal." 

"  I  know  it,"  said  Billy.  "  Blamed  if  I  don't  wish 
I  hadn't  taken  'em  there.  You'll  see  they  can't  wear 
the  things  in  Rosita." 

This  time  Billy  was  right.  He  had  been  mistaken  in 
thinking  that  the  miners  would  treat  Nelly  roughly; 
but  he  was  right  now  about  the  boys.  The  next  time 
Nelly  and  Rob  went  up  to  Rosita,  they  entered  the  town 
a  little  before  nine  o'clock:  it  was  just  the  time  when 
all  the  children  were  on  their  way  to  school.  As  soon 
as  Rob  and  Nelly  appeared  with  their  little  yokes  on 
their  shoulders,  and  a  basket  and  pail  swinging  from 
each  rod,  the  boys  on  the  street  set  up  a  loud  shout,  and 
all  rushed  towards  them. 

* '  Hullo,  bub !  what  kind  o '  harness  've  you  got  on  ?  ' ' 

' '  Did  your  pa  cut  down  his  ox-yoke  to  fit  ye  ?" 

"  Oh,  my!    look  at  the  gal  wearin'  one  too,"  they 

cried;    and  some  of  the  rudest  of  the  boys  pressed  up 

close,  and  tried  to  take  off  the  covers  of  the  baskets  and 

pails.    In  less  than  a  second,  Rob  had  slipped  his  yoke 

off  his  shoulders,  and  thrown  it  on  the  ground,  baskets 

and  all;   and  sprung  in  front  of  Nelly,  doubling  up  his 

fists,  and  pushing  the  boys  back,  crying :  — 

' '  You  let  us  alone,  now :   you  'd  better !  ' ' 

"  Hush!    hush!    Rob,"  said  Nelly,  who  was   quite 

white  with  terror.     "  Come  right  into  this  store:    the 

gentleman  that  keeps  the  store  won 't  let  them  touch  us. ' ' 

And  Nelly  slipped  into  the  store,  and  as  quick  as 

lightning  took  off  her  yoke  and  put  it  on  the  floor ;   and, 

saying  to  the  astonished  storekeeper,  (l  Please  let  my 

things  stay  there  a  minute;    the  boys  are  tormenting 

my  brother, ' '  she  ran  back  into  the  centre  of  the  crowd, 

snatched  up  both  Rob's  baskets  of  trout,  and,  pushing 


NELLY    GOES   INTO   BUSINESS  219 

Rob  before  her,  came  back  into  the  store.  The  crowd 
of  boys  followed  on,  and  were  coming  up  the  store 
steps ;  but  the  storekeeper  ordered  them  back. 

"  Go  away!  "  he  said:  "  you  ought  to  be  ashamed 
of  yourselves,  tormenting  these  children  so.  I'd  like 
to  thrash  every  one  of  you !  Go  away !  ' ; 

The  boys  shrank  away,  ashamed ;  and  the  storekeeper 
went  up  to  Nelly,  who  was  sitting  down  on  a  nail-keg, 
trembling  with  excitement. 

"  "What  is  this  thing,  anyhow?  "  said  he,  taking  up 
the  yoke.  ' '  Oh !  I  see,  —  to  carry  your  pails  on. ' ' 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Nelly;  "  and  it's  a  great  help.  We 
have  to  walk  so  far  the  baskets  feel  real  heavy  before 
we  get  here.  Jan,  the  Swede  man,  made  them  for  us. 
It  is  too  bad  the  boys  won't  let  us  wear  them." 

11  Are  you  Mr.  March's  little  girl?  "  said  the  shop- 
keeper. 

i '  Yes, ' '  said  Nelly ;  l  i  and  that 's  my  brother, ' '  point- 
ing to  Rob,  who  was  still  standing  on  the  steps,  shaking 
his  fists  at  the  retreating  boys  and  calling  after  them. 

"  He'd  better  let  'em  alone,"  said  the  shopkeeper. 
"  The  more  notice  ye  take  of  'em,  the  more  they'll  pes- 
ter ye.  But  I  reckon  ye  can't  wear  the  yokes  any  more ; 
I  wouldn't  if  I  was  you.  You  tell  your  father  that  Mr. 
Martin  told  ye  to  leave  'em  off.  Ye  can  leave  'em  here, 
if  ye 're  a  mind  to.  Some  time  when  your  father's  a 
drivin'  in  he  can  stop  and  get  'em." 

' '  Yes, ' '  said  Nelly :  "  I  hadn  't  any  thought  of  wear- 
ing them  again.  All  I  wanted  was  to  get  in  here  and 
be  safe,  so  they  shouldn  't  break  my  eggs :  I  Ve  got  four 
dozen  eggs  in  one  pail.  I  think  it  is  real  cruel  in  the 
boys  to  plague  us  so. ' '  And  Nelly  began  to  cry. 

"  There,  there,  don't  ye  cry  about  it;  'tain't  any  use. 
Here's  a  stick  of  candy  for  ye,"  said  the  kind-hearted 
Mr.  Martin.  "  The  Rosita  boys  are  a  terrible  rough 
set." 


220  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

"  We  might  take  care  not  to  get  into  town  till  after 
they're  in  school,"  said  Nelly,  taking  the  candy  and 
breaking  it  in  two,  and  handing  half  of  it  to  Rob. 
' '  Thank  you  for  the  candy,  sir.  I  'm  sorry  I  cried :  I 
guess  it  was  because  I  was  so  frightened.  Oh!  there's 
Ulrica  now!  "  And  she  ran  to  the  door,  and  called, 
"Ulrica!  Ulrica!  " 

Ulrica  came  running  as  fast  as  possible,  soon  as  she 
heard  Nelly's  voice.  She  looked  surprised  enough  when 
she  saw  the  two  yokes  lying  on  the  floor,  and  Nelly's 
face  all  wet  with  tears,  and  Rob's  deep-red  with  anger. 
When  Nelly  told  her  what  the  matter  was,  she  said  some 
very  loud  words  in  Swedish,  which  I  am  much  afraid 
were  oaths.  Then  she  turned  to  Mr.  Martin,  and  said :  — 

' '  Now,  is  not  that  shame  —  that  two  children  like  this 
will  not  be  to  be  let  alone  in  these  the  streets  ?  I  carry 
the  yokes  myself.  Come  to  mine  house. ' ' 

So  saying,  Ulrica  lifted  both  the  yokes  up  on  her 
strong  shoulders,  and,  taking  Nelly's  biggest  pail  in  one 
hand,  strode  away  with  long  steps. 

"  Come  on  mit  me,"  she  said;  "  come  straight.  I 
like  to  see  the  boy  that  shall  dare  you  touch."  And  as 
she  passed  the  boys,  who  had  gathered  sullenly  in  a 
little  knot  on  the  sidewalk,  she  shook  her  head  at  them, 
and  began  to  say  something  to  them  in  her  broken  Eng- 
lish; but,  finding  the  English  come  too  slow,  she  broke 
into  Swedish,  and  talked  louder  and  faster.  But  the 
boys  only  laughed  at  her,  and  cried :  — 

"  Go  it,  oldSwedy!  " 

"  Oh,  Ulrica!  don't  let's  speak  to  them,"  whispered 
Nelly.  ' '  Be  quiet,  Rob !  ' "  And  she  dragged  Rob  along 
with  a  firm  hand. 

11  Now  I  goes  mit  you  to  the  houses  mineself,"  said 
Ulrica.  ' '  It  shall  be  no  more  that  the  good-for-nothings 
have  room  that  to  you  they  one  word  speak." 

So  Ulrica  put  on  her  best  gown,  and  a  clean  white 


NELLY    GOES   INTO   BUSINESS  221 

handkerchief  over  her  head,  and  her  Sunday  shoes, 
which  had  soles  almost  two  inches  thick;  then  she  took 
one  of  the  baskets  and  one  of  the  pails,  and,  giving  the 
others  to  Nelly  and  Rob,  she  set  off  with  them  to  walk 
up  to  Mrs.  Clapp 's,  where  the  butter  and  trout  were 
to  be  left.  Mrs.  Clapp  was  astonished  to  see  Ulrica  with 
the  children.  Ulrica  tried  to  tell  her  the  story  of  the 
yokes;  but  Mrs.  Clapp  could  not  understand  Ulrica's 
English,  and  Nelly  had  to  finish  the  story. 

"  It  was  too  bad,"  said  Mrs.  Clapp :  "  but  my  advice 
to  you  is,  to  give  up  the  yokes.  It  would  never  be  quite 
safe  for  you  to  wear  them  here:  the  boys  in  this  town 
are  a  pretty  lawless  set. ' ' 

"  Oh,  no,  ma'am!  "  replied  Nelly,  "  I  haven't  the 
least  idea  of  wearing  them  again.  It  would  be  very 
silly.  But  it  is  a  dreadful  pity :  they  did  help  so  much, 
and  Jan  took  so  much  trouble  to  make  them  for  us." 

Rob  hardly  spoke.  He  was  boiling  over  with  rage 
and  mortification. 

"  I  say,  Nell,"  he  began,  as  soon  as  they  got  outside 
Mrs.  Clapp 's  gate :  l  i  you  might  have  let  me  thrash  that 
boy  that  spoke  last,  the  one  that  called  out  at  you.  I'll 
die  if  I  don't  do  something  to  him.  And  I'm  going  to 
wear  my  yoke:  so  there!  They  may's  well  get  used 
to  it.  I  '11  never  give  up  this  way !  ' : 

"  You'll  have  to,  Rob,"  answered  Nelly.  "  I  hate  it 
as  much  as  you  do;  but  there's  no  use  going  against 
boys,  —  that  is,  such  boys  as  these.  The  Mayfield  boys 
'd  never  do  so.  They'd  run  and  stare,  perhaps:  I  ex- 
pected any  boys  would  stare  at  our  yokes;  but  they'd 
never  hoot  and  halloo,  and  scare  you  so.  We'll  have 
to  give  the  yokes  up,  Rob. ' ' 

"  I  won't,"  said  Rob.  "I'm  going  to  wear  mine 
home,  and  ask  papa.  I  know  he  '11  say  not  to  give  up. ' ' 

"  No,  he  won't,  Rob,"  persisted  Nelly.  "  I  shall  tell 
him  what  the  kind  shopkeeper  said,  and  Mrs.  Clapp 


222  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

too.  You  might  know  better  yourself  than  to  go  against 
them  all.  They  know  better  than  we  do." 

' '  I  don 't  care, ' '  said  Rob.  "  It 's  none  of  their  busi- 
ness. I  shall  wear  my  yoke  if  I've  a  mind  to.  At  any 
rate,  I  '11  wear  it  once  more,  just  to  show  them. ' ' 

"  Papa  won't  let  you,"  said  Nelly,  quietly,  with  a 
tone  so  earnest  and  full  of  certainty  that  it  made  Rob 
afraid  she  must  be  right. 

When  Mrs.  March  saw  the  children  coming  home  with- 
out their  yokes,  she  wondered  what  could  have  happened. 
But  almost  before  she  had  opened  her  lips  to  ask,  Rob 
and  Nelly  both  began  to  tell  the  story  of  their  adven- 
tures. 

' '  Gently !  gently !  one  at  a  time, ' '  cried  Mrs.  March ; 
but  it  was  impossible  for  the  children  to  obey  her,  they 
were  both  so  excited.  At  last  Mrs.  March  said :  — 

* '  Rob,  let  Nelly  speak  first :  ladies  before  gentlemen, 
always. ' '  And  the  impatient  Rob  reluctantly  kept  silent 
while  Nelly  told  the  tale. 

Mrs.  March's  face  grew  sad  as  the  story  went  on.  It 
was  a  terrible  thing  to  her  to  think  of  her  little  daughter 
attacked  in  the  street  in  that  way  by  rude  boys. 

"  Now,  oughtn't  I  to  have  thrashed  them,  mamma?  " 
cried  Rob,  encouraged  by  the  indignation  in  his  mother's 
face:  "  oughtn't  I  to?  But  Nell  she  just  pulled  me 
into  the  store  by  main  force;  and  I  felt  so  mean.  I 
felt  as  if  I  looked  just  like  Trotter  when  he  puts  his 
tail  between  his  legs  and  runs  away  from  a  big  dog. 
I  don 't  care :  I  '11  thrash  that  ugly  black-eyed  boy  yet, 
—  the  one  that  spoke  to  Nelly;  sha'n't  I,  mamma? 
Wouldn't  you?  I  know  you  would!  And  mayn't  I 
wear  the  yoke  again,  just  to  show  them  I  ain't  afraid?  " 

"  Keep  cool,  Rob,"  said  Mrs.  March;   "  keep  cool!  " 

"  I  can't  keep  cool,  mamma,"  said  Rob,  almost  cry- 
ing ;  ' '  and  you  couldn  't,  either,  —  you  know  you 
couldn't!  " 


NELLY    GOES    INTO    BUSINESS  223 

'  Perhaps  not,  dear ;  but  I  'd  try, ' '  replied  his  mother. 
"  Nothing  else  does  any  good  ever." 

"  Well,  mayn't  I  wear  the  yoke,  anyhow?  "  said  Rob. 
E '  I  won 't  go  into  Rosita  ever  again  unless  I  can !  ' ' 

li  Rob,"  said  his  mother,  earnestly,  "  if  you  were 
going  across  a  field  where  there  was  a  bull,  you  wouldn  't 
wear  a  red  cloak:  would  you?  It  would  be  very  silly, 
wouldn't  it?  ?: 

11  Yes,"  said  Rob,  slowly  and  very  reluctantly.  He 
saw  what  his  mother  meant. 

11  That's  just  what  I  said,"  interrupted  Nelly:  "  I 
said  it  would  be  very  silly  to  wear  them  any  more.  The 
boys  would  never  let  us  alone  if  we  did. ' ' 

' '  Nelly  is  right, ' '  said  Mrs.  March :  ' '  it  would  be 
just  as  silly  as  to  carry  a  piece  of  red  cloth  and  flourish 
it  in  the  eyes  of  the  bull,  when  you  know  that  the  sight 
of  red  cloth  always  makes  bulls  angry. ' ' 

"  I  don't  care  if  it  does  make  them  all  set  on  me," 
said  Rob:  "  after  I've  thrashed  them  once,  they'll  let 
me  alone.  Anyhow,  I  won't  go  unless  I  can  wear  it; 
I  know  that  much :  I  'd  feel  such  a  sneak. ' ' 

"  Of  course  you'll  do  as  you  like  about  that,  my  dear 
boy, ' '  replied  Mrs.  March :  ' '  you  never  need  go  up 
to  Rosita,  if  you  would  rather  not.  You  know  it  was 
all  your  own  plan,  yours  and  Nelly's,  going  up  there  to 
sell  things.  Your  papa  and  I  would  never  have  thought 
of  it." 

"  Well,"  said  Rob,  half  crying,  "  but  there's  all  the 
money  I  make:  we'd  lose  all  that,  if  I  don't  go.  Nell 
couldn't  carry  the  trout  besides  all  the  butter  and 
eggs." 

"  I  know  it,"  replied  his  mother;  "  but  that  isn't 
any  reason  for  your  doing  what  you  feel  would  make  you 
seem  like  a  sneak.  We  wouldn't  have  you  feel  like  that 
for  any  thing. ' ' 

Poor  Rob  was  very  unhappy.    He  didn't  see  any  way 


224  NELLY'S   'SILVER   MINE 

out  of  his  dilemma.  He  wished  he  hadn't  said  he  would 
not  go  up  into  Rosita  without  his  yoke. 

' '  Anyhow,  I  '11  ask  papa, ' '  he  said. 

"  Yes,"  replied  his  mother,  "  of  course  you  will  talk 
it  all  over  with  him ;  and  perhaps  you  '11  feel  differently 
about  it  after  that.  Let  it  all  go  now,  and  try  to  for- 
get it." 

"I'm  not  going  to  think  any  more  about  it,"  said 
Nelly.  "  I  don't  care  for  those  boys:  they're  too  rude 
for  any  thing.  I  sha'n't  ever  look  at  one  of  them;  but 
you  wouldn't  catch  me  wearing  that  yoke  again,  I  tell 
you!  " 

"  That's  because  you're  a  girl,"  said  Rob.  "  If  you 
were  a  boy,  you'd  feel  just  exactly  as  I  do.  Oh,  good- 
ness! don't  I  wish  you  had  been  a  boy,  Nell?  If  you 
had,  we  two  together  could  thrash  that  whole  crowd 
quicker  'n  wink !  ' : 

"  I  shouldn't  fight,  if  I  were  a  boy,"  said  Nelly:  "  I 
think  it  is  beneath  a  boy  to  fight.  It's  just  like  dogs 
and  cats:  they  fight  with  their  teeth  and  claws;  and 
boys  fight  with  their  fists. ' ' 

"  Teeth,  too,"  said  Rob,  grimly. 

"  Do  they?  "  cried  Nelly,  in  a  tone  of  horror.  "  Do 
they  really  ?  Oh,  Rob  !  did  you  ever  bite  a  boy  ?  ' ! 

"  Not  many  times,"  said  Rob;  "  but  sometimes  you 
have  to." 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  I'm  not  a  boy,"  said  Nelly:  "  that's 
all  I've  got  to  say.  The  idea  of  biting !  " 

To  Mrs.  March's  great  surprise,  she  found,  when  she 
talked  the  affair  over  with  her  husband,  that  he  was 
inclined  to  sympathize  with  Rob's  feeling. 

''  I  don't  like  to  have  the  boy  give  it  up,"  said  Mr. 
March.  "  You  don't  know  boys  as  well  as  I  do,  Sarah. 
They'll  taunt  him  every  time  he  goes  through  the  street. 
I  half  wish  Nelly  hadn't  hindered  him  from  giving  one 
of  them  a  good,  sound  thrashing.  He  could  do  it," 


NELLY    GOES   INTO    BUSINESS  225 

"Why,  Robert!  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  March:  "you 
don't  mean  to  tell  me  that  you  would  be  willing  to  have 
your  son  engage  in  a  street  fight  ?  ' ' 

"  Well,  no,"  laughed  Mr.  March:  "  not  exactly  that; 
but  there  might  be  circumstances  under  which  I  should 
knock  a  man  down:  if  he  insulted  you,  for  instance; 
and  there  might  come  times  in  a  boy 's  life  when  I  should 
think  it  praiseworthy  in  him  to  give  another  boy  a 
thrashing,  and  I  think  this  was  one  of  them." 

11  Well,  for  mercy's  sake,  don't  tell  Rob  so,"  said  Mrs. 
March :  ' '  he 's  hot-headed  enough  now ;  and,  if  he  had 
a  free  permission  beforehand,  from  you  to  knock  boys 
down,  I  don't  know  where  he'd  stop." 

While  Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  were  talking,  Billy  came 
in.  He  had  heard  the  story  of  the  morning's  adven- 
tures from  a  teamster  who  had  been  on  the  street  when 
it  happened ;  and  Billy  had  walked  all  the  way  in  from 
Pine 's  ranch,  to  —  as  he  said  in  his  clumsy,  affectionate 
way  —  "see  ef  I  couldn 't  talk  the  youngsters  out  of 
their  notion  about  them  yokes. ' ' 

"  'Tain't  no  use,"  he  said:  "  an'  ye  won't  find  a  man 
on  the  street  but '11  tell  ye  the  same  thing.  'Tain't  no 
use  flyin'  in  the  face  o'  natur'  with  boys;  and  the  Ro- 
sita  boys,  I  will  say  for  'em,  is  the  worst  I  ever  did  see. 
Their  fathers  is  away  from  hum  all  the  time,  and  wim- 
men  hain't  much  hold  on  boys  after  they  get  to  be  long 
from  twelve  an'  up'ards;  an'  the  schools  in  Rosita 
ain't  no  great  things,  either.  'S  soon's  I  heard  about 
them  yokes,  I  told  Luce  the  children  couldn 't  never  wear 
'em:  the  boys  'n  the  street 'd  plague  their  lives  out  on 
'em.  I  don 't  know  as  I  blame  'em  so  much,  either,  — 
though  they  might  be  decent  enough  to  let  a  little  gal 
alone;  but  them* yokes  is  awful  cur 'us-lookin '  things. 
I  never  see  a  man  a  haulin'  water  with  'em,  without 
laughin ' :  they  make  a  man  look  like  a  doubled-up  kind 
o'  critter,  with  more  arms  'n  he's  any  right  to.  You 


226  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

can't  deny  yourself,  sir,  thet  they're  queer-lookin '. 
Why,  I  've  seen  horses  scare  at  'em  lots  o '  times. ' ' 

Billy's  conversation  produced  a  strong  impression  on 
Mr.  March's  mind.  Almost  as  reluctantly  as  Rob  him- 
self, he  admitted  that  it  was  the  part  of  wisdom  to  give 
up  the  yokes. 

"  It's  no  giving  up  for  Nelly,"  said  Mrs.  March: 
' '  she  said  herself  that  nothing  would  induce  her  to  wear 
it  in  again. ' ' 

"  And  I  think  Rob  would  better  not  go  in  for  a  little 
while,  till  the  boys  have  forgotten  about  it,"  said  Mrs. 
March. 

:<  And  not  at  all,  unless  he  himself  proposes  it," 
added  Mr.  March.  "  I  have  never  wholly  liked  the 
plan,  much  as  we  have  been  helped  by  the  money." 

"  I've  got  an  idee  in  my  head,"  said  Billy,  "  thet  I 
think '11  help  'em  more  'n  the  yokes,  —  a  sight  more.  I 
mean  to  make  'em  a  little  light  wagon.  Don't  tell  'em 
any  thing  about  it,  because  it'll  take  me  some  little  time 
yet.  I've  got  to  stay  up  to  Pine's  a  week  longer;  an' 
I  can't  work  on't  there.  But  I'll  have  it  ready  in  two 
weeks,  or  three  to  the  farthest. ' ' 

"  Thank  you,  Billy,"  said  Mr.  March:  "  that  is  very 
kind  of  you.  And  a  wagon  will  be  much  better  than 
the  yokes  were:  it  will  save  them  fatigue  almost  as 
much,  and  not  attract  any  attention  at  all.  You  were 
very  good  to  think  of  it. ' ' 

"  Nothin'  good  about  me,"  said  Billy,  gruffly :  "  never 
was.  But  I  do  think  a  heap  o'  your  youngsters,  spe- 
cially Nelly,  Mr.  March.  It  seems  to  me  the  Lord  don't 
often  send  just  sech  a  gal  's  Nelly  is." 

1 '  I  think  so  too,  Billy, ' '  replied  Mr.  .March.  * '  I  have 
never  seen  a  child  like  Nelly.  I'm  afraid  sometimes 
we  shall  spoil  her. ' ' 

11  No  danger!  no  danger!  "  said  Billy:  "  she  ain't 
the  kind  that  spoils." 


NELLY    GOES   INTO   BUSINESS  227 

' '  Now,  you  be  sure  an '  not  let  on  about  the  wagon : 
won't  you,  sir,"  he  added,  looking  back  over  his  shoul- 
der, as  he  walked  away  fast  on  his  great  long  legs,  which 
looked  almost  like  stilts,  they  were  so  long. 

"  Oh,  yes!  you  may  trust  me,  Billy,"  called  Mr. 
March.  "  I  won't  tell.  Good-by!  " 


CHAPTER   XI 

HOW  TO  FIND  A   SILVER  MINE 

TTTHEN  Nelly  set  off  on  her  next  trip  to  Rosita,  she 
VV  felt  a  little  sad  and  a  little  afraid.  It  had  been 
decided  that  it  would  not  be  best  for  Rob  to  go  at  pres- 
ent, even  if  he  had  wished  to;  that  it  would  be  better 
to  wait  until  the  boys  had  forgotten  the  fight  about  the 
yokes  before  he  was  seen  in  town  again.  Rob  walked 
with  Nelly  as  far  as  Billy's  cabin.  Here  they  waited 
awhile  for  Nelly  to  rest,  and  to  make  sure  that  she  did 
not  get  into  town  till  after  nine  o'clock,  after  the  boys 
were  all  safe  inside  the  school-house.  In  the  bottom  of 
her  heart,  Nelly  was  really  afraid  of  seeing  them  again. 
She  would  not  own,  even  to  herself,  that  she  felt  fear; 
but  she  could  not  help  wondering  all  the  time  what  the 
boys  would  do,  —  if  they  would  say  any  thing  when  they 
saw  her  walking  along  all  alone,  and  without  her  yoke 
on  her  shoulders.  Rob  was  to  spend  the  day  with  Lu- 
cinda,  and  be  ready  to  walk  home  with  her  in  the  after- 
noon. He  too  felt  very  uncomfortable  about  being  left 
behind ;  and  there  were  two  sad  little  faces  which  looked 
wistfully  into  each  other,  as  the  good-byes  were  being 
said. 

"  I  '11  come  part  way  and  meet  you, ' '  said  Rob.  '  *  It 's 
too  mean !  ' : 

11  No,  don't!  "  said  Nelly:  "  the  sun  will  be  so  hot; 
and  perhaps  I  sha'n't  come  till  late.  Good-by!  " 

Nelly  wore  on  her  head  a  man's  hat,  with  a  brim  so 


HOW   TO   FIND   A    SILVER   MINE         229 

broad  you  could  hardly  see  her  face  at  all.  She  had 
had  to  wear  this  ever  since  the  summer  weather  began : 
the  sun  is  so  hot  in  Colorado  that  no  one  can  bear  it  on 
his  head  or  face  in  the  summer.  On  Nelly's  arm  swung 
her  neat  white  sun-bonnet,  tied  by  its  strings,  and  pinned 
up  in  paper.  When  she  reached  the  last  hill  before 
entering  the  town,  she  always  took  off  her  hat,  and  hid 
it  in  a  hollow  place  she  had  found  in  the  root  of  a  great 
pine-tree;  then  she  wore  her  sun-bonnet  into  town,  and 
people  sometimes  said  to  her :  — 

"  Why,  Nelly,  how  do  you  keep  your  sun-bonnet  so 
clean,  after  this  long,  dusty  walk  ?  ' : 

But  Nelly  never  told  her  secret.  She  was  afraid  some 
boy  might  hear  it,  and  go  and  find  the  hiding-place  of 
her  hat. 

There  wasn't  a  boy  to  be  seen  when  Nelly  entered 
the  town  this  morning.  How  relieved  her  heart  was 
you  can  imagine.  She  just  drew  a  long  breath,  and 
said  to  herself,  "Oh!  but  I'm  thankful.  Poor  Rob! 
he  might  as  well  have  come  as  not. ' ' 

Then  she  ran  on  to  Ulrica's  house.  Ulrica  was  very 
busy  ironing  some  fine  white  clothes  for  a  young  lady 
who  was  visiting  in  Rosita:  Ulrica  was  the  only  nice 
washerwoman  in  the  town.  Nelly  stood  by  the  ironing- 
board,  watching  Ulrica  flute  the  pretty  lace  ruffles. 
Presently  she  sighed,  and  said :  — 

"  Mamma  has  ever  so  many  pretty  things  like  these 
put  away  in  a  trunk.  I  used  to  wear  such  ruffles  on 
my  aprons  and  in  my  neck  every  day  at  home.  But 
mamma  does  all  our  washing  now,  and  it  is  too  much 
trouble  to  iron  them.  So  we  don't  wear  them  any 
more. ' ' 

"  Ah,  the  dear  child!  "  exclaimed  Ulrica.  "  Bring 
to  Ulrica:  she  will  them  do;  it  are  not  trouble;  look 
how  quick  can  fly  the  scissors."  And  in  five  minutes 
she  had  fluted  the  whole  of  one  neck-ruffle. 


230  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

"Oh!  would  you  really,  Ulrica?  "  said  Nelly.  "  We 
could  pay  you  in  the  eggs. ' ' 

' '  Pay !  pay !  ' '  said  Ulrica,  angrily :  ' '  who  did  say 
to  be  paid  ?  No  pay !  no  pay !  Ulrica  will  do  for  you : 
not  'ing  pay.  You  are  mine  child. ' ' 

"I'm  afraid  mamma  would  not  like  to  have  you  do 
them  without  pay,"  said  Nelly.  "  She  would  not  think 
it  was  right  to  take  your  time. ' ' 

"  It  is  not  'ing ;  it  is  not  time :  bring  them  to  Ulrica, ' ' 
was  all  Ulrica  would  say.  And  Nelly  ran  on,  resolving 
to  ask  her  mother,  that  very  night,  for  some  of  the  old 
ruffles  she  used  to  wear  in  the  necks  of  her  gowns.  After 
she  had  left  the  butter  and  eggs  for  Mrs.  Clapp,  and 
had  sold  the  rest  of  her  eggs  at  another  house  near  by, 
she  walked  slowly  down  the  hill  past  the  hotel.  Just 
below  the  hotel  was  a  little  one-story  wooden  building, 
which  had  a  sign  up  over  the  door  — 

"  WILHELM  KLEESMAN, 
11  ASSAYER." 

While  the  Marches  were  staying  at  the  hotel,  Nelly 
had  often  seen  old  Mr.  Kleesman  sitting  on  the  steps 
of  his  little  house,  and  smoking  a  big  brown  pipe.  The 
bowl  of  the  pipe  had  carved  on  it  a  man's  head,  with  a 
long,  flowing  beard.  Mr.  Kleesman  himself  had  a  long, 
flowing  beard,  as  white  as  snow,  and  his  face  did  not 
look  unlike  the  face  on  the  pipe ;  and  the  first  time  Rob 
saw  him  smoking,  he  had  run  to  call  Nelly,  saying :  — 

"  Come  here,  Nell!  come  quick!  There's  a  man  out 
there  smoking,  with  his  own  portrait  on  his  pipe." 

Mr.  March  had  explained  to  Nelly  and  Rob  that  ' '  As- 
sayer  "  meant  a  man  who  could  take  a  stone  and  find 
out  whether  there  were  really  any  silver  and  gold  in 
it  or  not.  This  seemed  very  wonderful  to  the  children ; 
and,  as  they  looked  at  the  old  gentleman  sitting  on  his 


.HOW    TO   FIND   A    SILVER   MINE         231 

door-step  every  evening,  smoking,  they  thought  he  looked 
like  a  magician,  or  like  Aladdin  who  had  the  wonderful 
lamp.  Rob  said  he  meant  to  go  and  show  him  some  of 
his  stones,  and  see  if  there  were  not  silver  in  some 
of  them;  but  his  father  told  him  that  it  took  a  great 
deal  of  time  and  trouble  to  find  out  whether  a 
stone  had  silver  in  it  or  not,  and  that  everybody 
who  had  it  done  had  to  pay  Mr.  Kleesman  three  dollars 
for  doing  it. 

"  Whew!  "  said  Rob:  "  supposing  there  shouldn't  be 
any  silver  at  all  in  their  stone,  what  then?  " 

"  They  have  to  pay  three  dollars  all  the  same,"  said 
his  father ;  * l  and  it  is  much  cheaper  to  find  out  that  way, 
than  it  is  to  go  on  digging  and  digging,  and  spending 
time  and  money  getting  stones  out  of  the  earth  which 
are  not  good  for  any  thing." 

After  that,  Rob  and  Nelly  used  to  watch  the  faces  of 
all  the  men  they  saw  coming  out  of  Mr.  Kleesman 's 
office,  and  try  to  guess  whether  their  stones  had  turned 
out  good  or  not.  If  the  man  looked  sad  and  disap- 
pointed, Nelly  would  say :  — 

"  Oh !  see  that  poor  man :  his  hasn't  turned  out  good, 
I  know." 

And,  whenever  some  one  came  out  with  a  quick  step 
and  a  smiling  face,  Rob  would  say :  — 

''Look!  look!  Nell.  That  man's  got  silver.  He's  got 
it :  I  know  he  has. ' ' 

As  Nelly  walked  by  Mr.  Kleesman 's  house  this  morn- 
ing, she  saw  lying  on  the  ground  a  queer  little  round 
cup.  It  was  about  half  as  big  as  a  small,  old-fashioned 
teacup;  it  was  made  of  a  rough  sort  of  clay,  like  that 
which  flower-pots  are  made  of;  the  outside  was  white, 
and  the  inside  was  all  smooth  and  shining,  and  of  a 
most  beautiful  green  color. 

"  Oh,  what  a  pretty  little  cup!  "  thought  Nelly,  pick- 
ing it  up,  and  looking  at  it  closely.  "  I  wonder  how  it 


232  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

came  here!  Somebody  must  have  lost  it;  some  little 
girl,  I  guess.  How  sorry  she  will  be !  ' ' 

At  that  minute,  old  Mr.  Kleesman  came  to  his  door 
When  he  saw  Nelly  looking  at  the  cup,  he  called  out  to 
her:  — 

' '  Vould  you  like  more  as  dat  ?  I  haf  plenty ;  dey  iss 
goot  for  little  girls." 

Mr.  Kleesman  was  a  German,  and  spoke  very  broken 
English. 

Nelly  looked  up  at  him,  and  said :  — 

* '  Thank  you,  sir.  I  should  like  some  more  very  much. 
They  are  cunning  little  cups.  I  thought  somebody  had 
lost  this  one." 

Mr.  Kleesman  laughed,  and  stroked  his  long,  white 
beard  with  his  hand. 

' '  Ach !  I  throw  dem  away  each  day.  Little  girls 
come  often  to  mine  room  for  dem :  I  have  vary  goot 
customers  in  little  girls.  Come  in !  come  in !  you  shall 
have  so  many  that  you  want."  And  he  led  Nelly  into 
a  small  back  room,  where,  in  a  corner  on  the  floor,  was 
a  great  pile  of  these  little  cups :  some  broken  ones ; 
some,  like  the  one  Nelly  had,  green  on  the  inside ;  some 
brown,  some  yellow,  some  dark-red.  Nelly  was  de- 
lighted. She  knelt  down  on  the  floor,  and  began  to 
look  over  the  pile. 

11  May  I  really  have  all  I  want?  "  she  said.  "  Are 
they  not  of  any  use  ?  ' : 

* '  Only  to  little  girls, ' '  said  Mr.  Kleesman :  c '  some- 
times to  a  boy;  but  not  often  a  boy;  mostly  it  is  for 
little  girls;  they  are  my  goot  customers." 

Nelly  picked  out  six.  She  did  not  like  to  take  more, 
though  she  would  have  liked  the  whole  pile.  Mr.  Klees- 
man stood  watching  her. 

11  Vy  not  you  take  more  as  dem?  "  he  said. 

"  I  am  afraid  there  will  not  be  enough  for  the  other 
little  girls,"  replied  Nelly. 


HOW   TO    FIND   A    SILVER   MINE         233 

Mr.  Kleesman  laughed  and  shook  till  his  white  beard 
went  up  and  down. 

"  Look  you  here,"  he  said,  and  pointed  behind  the 
door.  There  was  another  pile,  twice  as  big  as  the  one 
which  Nelly  was  examining. 

"  Oh,  my !  "  said  Nelly :  ' '  what  a  lot !  I  '11  take  a  few 
more,  I  guess. " 

"I  gif  you  myself.  You  haf  too  modest,"  said  the 
old  gentleman.  And  he  picked  up  two  big  handfuls  of 
the  cups,  and  threw  them  into  Nelly's  basket.  Then 
he  sprang  to  a  big  brick  stove  which  there  was  in  the 
room,  and  opened  its  iron  door  and  looked  in.  A  fiery 
heat  filled  the  room,  as  he  opened  the  door. 

' '  Oh !  "  said  Nelly,  ' l  I  wondered  what  made  it  so  hot 
in  here.  Why  do  you  have  a  fire  in  such  hot  weather  ?  ' 3 
she  said. 

"  To  make  mine  assays,"  replied  Mr.  Kleesman.  "  I 
haf  made  three  to-day  already.  I  shall  make  three  more. 
I  haf  big  fire  all  day.  You  can  look  in  if  you  like.  Do 
you  like?  " 

11  Very  much,"  said  Nelly.  Mr.  Kleesman  lifted  her 
up  on  a  block  of  wood,  so  that  her  face  came  directly 
opposite  the  door  into  the  furnace.  Then  he  gave  her 
a  piece  of  wood  shaped  like  a  shovel,  with  two  round 
holes  in  it.  He  told  her  to  hold  this  up  in  front  of  her 
face,  so  to  keep  off  the  heat,  and  then  to  look  through 
the  two  holes  into  the  furnace.  Nelly  did  so ;  and,  as 
soon  as  she  looked  into  the  fiery  furnace,  she  gave  a 
little  scream.  The  fire  was  one  mass  of  glowing  red 
coals.  In  the  centre,  on  a  stand,  stood  three  little  cups, 
the  same  size  as  those  she  had.  In  these  cups  was  some- 
thing which  was  red  hot,  and  bubbling  in  little  bubbles. 

: '  Oh !   what  is  it  in  the  cups  ?  ' '  she  cried. 

"  Silver  ore,"  replied  Mr.  Kleesman.  "  It  have  to  be 
burnt  and  burnt  wiz  fire  before  I  can  tell  if  it  are  good. 
It  are  done  now.  I  take  out."  Then  with  a  long  pair 


234  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

of  tongs  he  took  out  one  cup  after  another,  and  set  them 
all  on  an  iron  block  on  the  table. 

Nelly  stood  on  tiptoe,  and  looked  into  the  little  cups. 
The  fiery  red  color  died  away  very  quickly;  and  there, 
in  the  bottom  of  each  cup,  was  a  tiny,  little  round  speck 
of  silver.  One  was  as  big  as  the  head  of  a  common- 
sized  pin,  and  one  was  a  little  smaller,  and  the  third 
one  was  so  small  you  could  but  just  see  it.  In  fact,  if 
it  had  been  loose  on  the  floor  or  on  a  table,  you  would 
not  have  noticed  it  at  all. 

' '  That  is  not  goot  for  any  t  'ing, ' '  said  Mr.  Kleesman, 
pointing  to  this  small  one.  "  I  tell  the  man  ven  he 
bring  his  ore,  I  think  it  are  no  good." 

Nelly  did  not  speak ;  but  her  face  was  so  full  of  eager 
curiosity  that  Mr.  Kleesman  said :  — 

11  Now  I  show  you  how  I  tell  how  much  silver  there 
will  be  in  each  ton  of  the  ore. ' ' 

Then  he  went  into  the  front  room,  and  Nelly  followed 
him.  On  a  table  in  the  window  stood  a  long  box;  its 
sides  and  top  were  made  of  glass,  set  in  narrow  wooden 
frames.  In  this  box  was  a  beautiful  little  pair  of  brass 
scales;  and  in  one  of  these  scales  was  a  tiny  silver  but- 
ton. One  side  of  this  glass  box  drew  up  like  a  sliding 
door.  Mr.  Kleesman  set  his  little  cups  down  very  care- 
fully on  the  table ;  then  he  sat  down  in  a  chair  opposite 
the  glass  box,  and  told  Nelly  to  come  and  stand  close 
to  him. 

"  Now  I  weigh,"  he  said,  and  pulled  up  the  sliding 
side  of  the  glass  box;  then  with  a  very  fine  pair  of 
pincers  he  took  up  one  of  the  little  buttons  which  had 
come  out  of  the  furnace,  and  laid  it  in  the  empty  scale. 

' i  See  which  are  the  heaviest, ' '  he  said  to  Nelly. 

Nelly  strained  her  eyes;  but  she  could  hardly  see 
that  one  scale  was  heavier  than  the  other. 

"  They  are  alike,"  said  Nelly. 

Mr.  Kleesman  laughed. 


HOW   TO   FIND   A    SILVER   MINE         235 

"Ah,  no!  but  they  are  not,"  he  said.  "Look!  here 
it  is  written."  And  he  pointed  to  a  little  needle  which 
was  fastened  on  the  upright  bar  from  which  the  scales 
swung.  This  needle  was  balanced  so  that  the  very  small- 
est possible  weight  would  make  it  move  one  way  or 
the  other,  and  point  to  figures  printed  on  a  scale 
behind  it,  —  just  as  you  have  seen  figures  on  the 
scales  the  cooks  weigh  sugar  and  butter  on  in  the 
kitchen.  Mr.  Kleesman  took  off  the  glasses  he  was  wear- 
ing, and  put  on  another  pair.  "  These  are  my  best 
eyes,"  he  said,  "  to  read  the  small  figures  with." 
Then  he  peered  a  few  minutes  at  the  needle;  then  he 
shut  down  the  glass  slide,  and  watched  it  through  the 
glass. 

"  Even  my  breath  would  make  that  it  did  not  swing 
true,"  he  said. 

Presently  he  pushed  up  the  slide,  and  took  out  the 
little  button  with  his  pincers,  and  put  it  up  on  a  bar 
above  the  scales,  where  there  were  as  many  as  a  dozen 
more  of  the  little  buttons,  all  arranged  in  a  row,  —  some 
larger,  some  smaller.  Then  he  wrote  a  few  words  in  a 
little  book. 

"  There,"  he  said,  "  I  haf  good  news  for  two  men, 
and  bad  news  for  one  man,  —  the  man  who  haf  the  little 
button ;  his  mine  are  not  goot.  The  other  two  can  make 
twelve  dollars  of  silver  from  one  ton  of  ore." 

By  this  time  Nelly  looked  so  hopelessly  puzzled,  that 
the  old  gentleman  laughed,  and  said :  - 

' '  You  haf  not  understand :  is  that  so  ?  ' ! 

' '  Oh,  no,  sir !  "  said  Nelly :  "  I  have  not  understood 
at  all.  Could  I  understand?  " 

"  Ach,  yes!  it  is  so  simple,  so  simple;  the  smallest 
child  shall  understand,  if  I  show  him.  Stay  you  here 
till  afternoon,  and  I  show  you  from  beginning,"  said 
Mr.  Kleesman.  "  I  make  two  more  assays  this  after- 


236  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  replied  Nelly:  "  I  should  like  to 
stay  very  much;  but  my  brother  is  waiting  for  me.  I 
must  hurry  home.  Some  other  day,  if  you  will  let  me, 
I  will  come.  May  I  bring  my  brother  ?  ' : 

"  Is  he  goot  like  you;  not  to  touch,  and  not  ask  the 
questions  that  are  foolish?  "  said  Mr.  Kleesman. 

Nelly  colored.  She  was  afraid  Rob  would  not  be 
able  to  keep  as  quiet  as  she  had,  or  to  refrain  from 
touching  things.  Yet  she  wanted  to  have  him  see  the 
curious  sight. 

"  I  think  he  will  not  touch  any  thing  if  you  ask  him 
not  to;  and  I  will  try  to  keep  him  very  still,"  said 
Nelly. 

' '  Vary  goot :  he  may  come.  Little  one,  it  will  be  to 
me  pleasure  to  show  you  all.  You  are  like  German 
child,  not  like  American  child,"  replied  Mr.  Kleesman, 
whose  heart  warmed  towards  Nelly  more  and  more  the 
longer  he  watched  her  quiet  ways  and  her  thoughtful 
face. 

Nelly  was  so  full  of  thoughts  about  the  fiery  furnace, 
the  wonderful  little  silver  buttons  in  the  glowing  red 
cups,  and  the  kind  old  man  with  the  white  beard,  that, 
for  the  first  time  all  summer,  she  forgot  Ulrica,  and  set 
out  for  the  valley  on  a  shorter  road,  which  did  not  pass 
Ulrica's  house.  Poor  Ulrica  stood  in  her  door,  watch- 
ing for  a  long  time,  till  she  grew  anxious;  at  last,  she 
pinned  her  white  handkerchief  over  her  head,  and 
walked  up  into  the  town  to  see  what  had  become  of 
the  child. 

"If  it  is  that  she  haf  again  to  be  frighted  by  the 
bad  boys,"  said  Ulrica,  doubling  up  her  fist,  as  she 
strode  along,  "  I  will  make  Jan  that  he  go  to  the  town- 
master,  and  haf  punish  them  all." 

No  Nelly  was  to  be  found.  Each  person  that  Ulrica 
asked  had  seen  Nelly  early  in  the  forenoon ;  but  no  one 
had  seen  her  since.  At  last,  a  man  who  was  driving  a 


HOW    TO   FIND   A    SILVER    MINE         237 

long  string  of  pack-mules  overheard  Ulrica's  questions, 
and  stopped  his  mules  to  say :  — 

"  Is  it  that  little  brown-eyed  gal  o'  March's,  down  in 
the  valley,  you're  asking  after?  " 

' '  Yes,  yes,  it  are  she !  ' '  exclaimed  Ulrica :  l '  haf  you 
saw?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  man:  "  I  met  her  two  hours  ago 
well  down  the  valley  road,  most  to  Cobb's  cabin,  —  she 
an'  her  brother." 

1 '  Ach !  ' '  said  Ulrica,  and  turned  away  without  an- 
other word.  Nor  did  she  speak  to  a  soul  all  the  way 
home.  She  was  hurt  and  offended.  ' '  It  are  first  time, ' ' 
she  said;  "  but  it  wrill  not  be  last  time.  She  haf  found 
more  as  Ulrica, ' '  and  poor  Ulrica  brooded  over  the  thing 
till  she  made  herself  very  unhappy.  She  would  have 
been  quite  comforted  if  she  had  known  that  Nelly  was 
feeling  almost  as  badly  about  it  as  she  did.  Nelly  did 
not  remember,  till  she  was  half  way  to  Lucinda's  cabin, 
that  she  had  not  stopped  to  say  good-by  to  Ulrica.  As 
soon  as  she  thought  of  it,  she  stood  still,  in  the  middle 
of  the  road,  and  said,  '  *  Oh,  dear !  ' '  out  loud.  At  first, 
she  had  half  a  mind  to  go  back;  but  she  knew  that 
would  be  silly.  So  she  trudged  along,  trying  to  hope 
that  Ulrica  would  not  have  been  watching  for  her.  As 
soon  as  she  saw  Rob,  she  exclaimed :  — 

'  *  Oh,  Rob !  I  forgot  to  come  by  way  of  Ulrica 's,  as 
we  always  do.  I'm  afraid  she  is  watching  for  me.  If 
it  hadn  't  been  so  far,  I  'd  have  gone  back. ' ' 

Rob  looked  astonished. 

* '  Why,  what  in  the  world  made  you  forget  it  ?  "  he 
asked.  "  You  don't  like  goat's  milk  as  well  as  I  do,  or 
you  wouldn  't  ever  forget  to  go  to  Ulrica 's !  ' ' 

11  Well,  you'd  have  forgotten  it  yourself,  this  time," 
said  Nelly,  "  I  know,  if  you'd  seen  what  I  have." 

Then  she  showed  him  the  cups,  and  told  him  all  about 
the  good  time  she  had  had  in  Mr.  Kleesman's  rooms. 


238  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

"What!  that  jolly  old  fellow  with  the  pipe  that 
looked  like  Santa  Glaus?"  cried  Rob.  "Oh,  Nell! 
don't  you  believe  papa '11  let  me  go  in  with  you,  next 
time?  " 

"  I  guess  so,"  said  Nelly.  "  I  didn't  .see  a  boy  to- 
day, not  one,  when  I  first  went  in;  and  at  noon  they 
didn't  take  any  notice  of  me.  Mrs.  Clapp  says  they 
forget  every  thing  very  soon. ' ' 

*  *  Well,  they  don 't !  "  said  Rob,  firing  up  at  this  state- 
ment about  boys;  "  and  Mrs.  Clapp  needn't  think  so. 
I  guess  I  know.  You'll  see  they'll  pitch  into  us  again 
yet,  —  at  least,  into  me.  I  dare  say  they  won 't  bother 
you.  But  I'm  going  in,  anyhow.  It's  too  mean." 

"I'll  ask  papa  to  let  you,"  said  Nelly.  "  We  might 
go  in  just  in  time  to  get  in  about  nine,  and  we  could 
stay  at  Mr.  Kleesman's  at  twelve  o'clock;  and  then  we 
needn't  see  them  at  all.  Say,  Rob,  do  you  suppose  Ul- 
rica'11  care  much  because  I  didn't  stop?  " 

"Why,  no!"  said  Rob:  "why  should  she?  You 
saw  her  in  the  morning?  ' 

'  *  Yes, ' '  said  Nelly :  ' '  but  we  always  did  stop,  you 
know ;  and  she  was  always  standing  in  the  door  watch- 
ing for  us,  don't  you  know?  I'm  awful  sorry!  " 

' '  Oh,  pshaw !  ' '  said  Rob :  ' '  you  're  always  thinking 
of  things,  Nell." 

It  seemed  very  long  to  Rob  and  Nelly  before  the  day 
came  round  to  go  up  to  Rosita  again.  It  was  only  two 
days;  but  it  seemed  as  much  as  a  week  to  them  both. 
That  is  one  of  the  queerest  things  in  this  life,  I  think, 
that  time  can  seem  both  so  much  longer  and  so  much 
shorter  than  it  really  is.  Haven't  you  known  Saturday 
afternoons  that  didn't  seem  one  bit  more  than  a  minute 
long?  I  have;  and  I  remember  just  as  well  all  about 
them,  as  if  it  were  only  this  very  last  Saturday. 

At  last,  the  day  came.  It  was  Friday,  and  a  lovely, 
bright  day.  Mr.  March  had  said  that  Rob  might  go 


HOW   TO   FIND   A    SILVER   MINE         239 

too ;  and  both  the  children  were  awake  long  before  light, 
in  their  impatience  to  be  off. 

"  It  would  do  just  as  well  if  we  got  up  there  early 
enough  to  be  all  through  with  selling  things,  and  get  in 
to  Mr.  Kleesman's  before  nine  o'clock:  wouldn't  it, 
Nell?  "  said  Rob. 

' '  Why,  yes, ' '  said  Nelly, ' '  of  course  it  would.  That 's 
splendid.  Let's  get  right  up  now.  It's  beginning  to 
be  light/' 

When  Mrs.  March  heard  their  feet  pattering  about, 
she  called  from  her  room :  — 

"  What  in  the  world  are  you  about,  children?  " 

11  Getting  up,  mamma,"  answered  Nelly.  "  We're 
going  up  to  town  real  early,  so  as  to  get  out  of  the  way 
of  the  boys,  and  have  a  good  long  time  at  Mr.  Klees- 
man's. It  takes  about  three  hours  to  do  what  he  does 
to  the  ore.  Can 't  we  go  ?  ' : 

"  I  have  no  objection,"  replied  Mrs.  March;  "  but 
you  must  have  some  breakfast.  I  will  get  right  up." 

"  Oh,  no!  no!  please,  dear  mamma,  don't!  "  cried 
Nelly.  "  It's  only  four  o'clock,  by  the  clock  down- 
stairs :  I  've  just  been  down.  We  can  get  plenty  to  eat 
without  you.  There  is  beautiful  cream  in  the  pantry; 
and  a  whole  lot  of  cold  potatoes. ' ' 

Mrs.  March  laughed,  and  said :  — 

"  I  don't  think  cold  potatoes  are  a  very  good  break- 
fast." 

' '  Why,  mamma !  mamma !  ' '  cried  Rob,  ' '  cold  pota- 
toes are  splendid.  I  like  them  best  cold,  with  lots  of 
salt.  Please  don't  you  get  up." 

Mrs.  March  was  very  sleepy;  so  she  turned  over  in 
bed,  and  went  sound  to  sleep.  When  Nelly  was  dressed, 
she  peeped  cautiously  in  at  the  door  of  her  mother's 
room,  which  stood  open. 

"  They're  both  sound  asleep,  Rob,"  she  whispered: 
"  let's  take  off  our  shoes." 


240  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

1  i  What  fun !  ' '  whispered  Rob ;  and  the  two  children 
stole  downstairs  in  their  stocking-feet,  like  two  little 
thieves ;  then  they  drank  a  good  tumbler  of  cream,  and 
ate  the  cold  potatoes  with  salt,  and  some  nice  brown 
bread,  and  butter. 

"  I  don't  think  a  king  need  have  a  better  breakfast 
than  this,"  said  Rob. 

"  I  do !  "  said  Nelly.  "  If  I  were  a  queen,  I  'd  have 
a  better  one. ' ' 

"  What  would  you  have,  Nelly?  "  said  Rob,  ear- 
nestly. 

"  Gold  roast  turkey,"  said  Nelly,  "  and  bread  and 
honey. ' ' 

"  Pooh!  "  said  Rob,  "  I  hate  honey.  It  has  such  a 
twang  to  it.  I  'd  have  melted  maple  sugar  always.,  on 
my  bread,  if  I  were  a  king.  I  'd  have  maple  sugar  packed 
up  in  little  houses,  as  they  pack  the  ice  in  ice-houses, 
and  just  cut  out  great  square  junks,  to  melt  up." 

As  the  children  went  out  of  the  house,  the  sky  in  the 
east  was  just  beginning  to  be  bright  red.  The  sun  was 
not  up ;  but  it  was  very  light,  and  Pike 's  Peak  shone 
against  the  red  sky  like  a  great  mountain  of  alabaster. 
The  peaks  of  the  mountains  in  the  west  were  rosy  red; 
all  their  tops  were  covered  with  snow,  and  in  the  red 
light  they  looked  like  jewels. 

"  Oh,  Rob,  look!  look!  "  cried  Nelly:  "  isn't  it  per- 
fectly lovely !  Let 's  always  come  early  like  this. ' ' 

Rob  looked  at  the  mountains  and  the  sky. 

"  Yes,  'twould  be  pretty  if  'twould  stay  so,"  he  said; 
* '  but  'twon  't  last  a  minute. ' ' 

Even  while  he  spoke,  the  red  color  faded;  the  moun- 
tains began  to  look  blue ;  and,  in  a  minute  more,  up 
came  the  sun  over  the  Rosita  hills,  and  flooded  the  whole 
valley  with  a  yellow  light.  All  along  the  sides  of  the 
road  were  beautiful  flowers,  —  blue,  pink,  white,  yel- 
low, and  red.  It  had  rained  in  the  night;  and  every 


HOW   TO    FIND   A    SILVER   MINE         241 

flower  was  shining  with  rain-drops,  and  as  bright  as  if 
it  had  just  been  painted. 

"  Oh,  Bob,"  said  Nelly,  "I'll  tell  you  what  we'll  do: 
we'll  pick  a  perfectly  splendid  bouquet  for  Ulrica.  I 
know  she  'd  like  it.  That  '11  show  her  I  'm  sorry  I  didn  't 
stop.  You  pick  white  and  blue,  and  I'll  pick  red  and 
yellow;  and  then  we'll  put  them  all  together.  Have 
you  got  any  string  ?  ' : 

Rob  had  a  big  piece.  So  they  picked  a  big  bunch  of 
flowers ;  and  then  they  sat  down  on  a  log,  and  Nelly 
arranged  them  in  a  beautiful  pyramid:  the  white  ones 
in  the  middle,  then  the  blue,  then  the  yellow,  and  then 
the  red.  Last,  she  put  a  border  of  the  fine,  green  young 
shoots  of  the  fir  around  it,  and  it  was  really  superb. 
Then  with  some  stout  twine  she  swung  it  on  her  neck, 
so  that  it  hung  down  on  her  shoulders  behind. 

"  There!  "  she  said;  "  I  don't  feel  the  weight  of  it 
a  bit,  and  that  '11  keep  it  out  of  the  sun  too. ' ' 

When  they  reached  Ulrica's  house,  not  a  window  was 
open.  Jan  and  Ulrica  were  still  asleep.  There  had  been 
a  dance  in  Rosita  the  night  before ;  and  they  had  danced 
nearly  all  night,  and  were  not  likely  to  wake  up  very 
early  after  such  a  night  as  that. 

"  Nell,  hang  it  on  the  door,"  said  Rob,  "  so  they'll 
find  it  when  they  first  open  the  door." 

' '  Somebody  might  steal  it, ' '  replied  Nelly. 

"  Pshaw!  "  said  Rob:   "  who'd  want  it?  " 

' l  I  'm  sure  anybody  would, ' '  retorted  Nelly :  "  it 's 
perfectly  splendid." 

' '  You  just  tie  it  on, ' '  said  Rob :  ' '  nobody  '11  touch  it. ' ' 

Nelly  had  run  around  to  the  back  side  of  the  house. 
A  small  window,  which  opened  from  a  sort  of  closet 
where  Ulrica  kept  milk,  was  open  a  little  way.  Nelly 
squeezed  the  bouquet  in,  and  ran  back  to  Rob. 

"  I've  thrown  it  in  at  the  closet  window,"  she  said. 
"  What  do  you  suppose  she'll  think  when  she  sees  it? 


242  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

She'll  think  fairies  brought  it.  Ulrica  believes  in  fair- 
ies :  she  told  me  so. ' ' 

"She  don't,  though:  does  she?"  exclaimed  Rob. 
"  What  a  goose!  " 

' '  I  think  it  would  be  nice  to  believe  in  them, ' '  replied 
Nelly.  "  I  do,  just  a  little,  wee  wee  bit.  I  don't  mean 
really  believe,  you  know;  but  just  a  little  bit.  I  guess 
there  used  to  be  fairies,  ever  so  many,  many  years  ago ; 
oh!  longer  ago  than  our  great,  great,  great  grand- 
mother :  don 't  you  ?  ' ' 

"  No!  "  said  Rob,  very  contemptuously:  "  there 
never  could  have  been  any  such  thing,  not  since  the 
world  began.  It's  just  made-up  stories  for  girls." 

"  Oh,  Rob!  "  cried  Nelly:  "  you  used  to  like  to  hear 
the  story  about  the  singing  tree,  the  talking  bird,  and 
the  laughing  water ;  don 't  you  know  ?  ' ' 

"  That  ain't  a  fairy  story,"  said  Rob:  "  it's  a  —  a 
—  I  forget  what  mamma  called  it.  Don 't  you  recollect 
how  she  explained  it  all  to  us  ?  —  how  it  was  all  true  ?  ' ' 

"Oh!  you  mean  a  parable,"  said  Nelly.  "  That's 
what  mamma  said,  —  that  it  meant  that  we  should  all 
find  singing  trees  and  talking  birds  and  laughing  water, 
if  we  loved  them  enough.  But  it's  a  fairy  story  too,  be- 
sides all  that." 

The  children  had  a  droll  time  going  to  people 's  houses 
so  early.  Nobody  was  up.  At  Mrs.  Clapp's,  they  had 
to  pound  and  pound,  before  they  could  wake  anybody. 
Then  Mr.  Clapp  put  his  head  out  of  a  window  to  see 
what  had  happened. 

: '  Goodness !  "  he  said :  ' '  here  are  the  children  with 
the  butter.  How  did  they  ever  get  up  here  so  early?  " 
And  he  ran  down  to  open  the  door. 

"  Ask  them  to  stay  to  breakfast,"  said  Mrs.  Clapp. 
"  The  poor  little  things  must  be  faint." 

Nelly  and  Rob  thanked  Mr.  Clapp,  but  said  they 
could  not  stop. 


HOW   TO   FIND   A    SILVER   MINE         243 

"  We  had  a  splendid  breakfast  at  home,"  said  Rob, 
triumphantly. 

When  Mr.  Clapp  went  back  to  his  room,  he  said  to 
his  wife :  — 

' '  Poor  little  things,  indeed !  You  wouldn  't  have 
called  them  so,  if  you'd  seen  them.  Their  eyes  shone 
like  diamonds,  and  their  cheeks  were  just  like  roses; 
and  they  looked  as  full  of  frolic  as  kittens.  I  declare 
I  do  envy  March  those  children.  That  Nelly's  going 
to  make  a  most  beautiful  woman. ' ' 

Rob  and  Nelly  reached  Mr.  Kleesman's  door  at  eight 
o  'clock.  His  curtains  were  down :  no  sign  of  life  about 
the  place. 

"  I  say,  Nell,  aren't  the  Rosita  people  lazy!  "  ex- 
claimed Rob.  "  What '11  we  do  now?  " 

"  Sit  down  here  on  the  step  and  wait,"  said  Nelly. 
"  He  always  comes  out  here,  the  first  thing,  and  looks 
off  down  into  the  valley,  and  at  the  mountains.  I  used 
to  see  him  when  we  were  at  the  hotel. ' ' 

How  long  it  seemed  before  they  heard  steps  inside 
the  house;  and  then  how  much  longer  still  before  the 
door  opened!  When  Mr.  Kleesman  saw  the  little  fig- 
ures sitting  on  his  door-step,  he  started. 

' '  Ach,  my  soul !  "  he  exclaimed :  "  it  is  the  little  one. 
Good  morning !  good  morning !  ' :  And  he  stooped  over 
and  kissed  Nelly 's  forehead. 

"  This  is  my  brother,  sir,"  said  Nelly.  "  We  are  all 
done  our  work,  and  have  come  to  see  you  make  the 
assay.  You  said  you  would  show  us. ' ' 

"  Ach!  ach!  "  cried  the  old  gentleman;  and  he 
looked  very  sorry.  "  It  is  one  tousand  of  pities :  it  can- 
not be  that  I  show  you  to-day.  My  chimney  he  did  do 
smoke ;  and  a  man  will  come  now  this  hour  to  take  out 
my  furnace  the  flue.  It  must  be  made  new.  Not  for 
some  day  I  make  the  assay  more." 

Nelly  and  Rob  looked  straight  in  his  face  without 


244  NELLY'S    SILVER    MINE 

speaking:  they  were  too  disappointed  to  say  one  word. 
Kind  old  Mr.  Kleesman  was  very  sorry  for  them. 

"  You  shall  again  come:  I  will  show  the  very  first 
day,"  he  said. 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  said  Nelly.  "  "We  always  come 
into  town  Tuesdays  and  Fridays.  We  can  come  to  your 
house  any  time."  And  she  took  hold  of  Rob's  hand, 
and  began  to  go  down  the  steps. 

' '  Vait !  vait !  ' '  exclaimed  Mr.  Kleesman :  ' '  come  in, 
and  I  show  you  some  picture.  You  will  not  have  seen 
picture  of  Malacca.  I  did  live  many  years  in  Malacca. ' ' 

Rob  bounded  at  these  words.  His  whole  face  lighted 
up. 

' '  Oh,  thank  you !  thank  you !  "  he  said :  : '  that  is 
what  I  like  best  in  all  the  world. ' ' 

"  Vat  is  dat  you  like  best  in  all  the  vorld:  Ma- 
lacca? "  said  the  old  gentleman.  "  And  vy  like  you 
Malacca?  " 

Rob  looked  confused.    Nelly  came  to  his  rescue. 

"  He  doesn't  mean  that  he  likes  Malacca,  sir,"  she 
said:  "  only  that  he  likes  to  hear  about  strange  coun- 
tries, —  any  countries. ' ' 

"  Ach!  "  said  Mr.  Kleesman:  "  I  see.  He  vill  be 
one  explorer." 

"  Indeed  I  will  that!  "  said  Rob.  "  Just  as  soon  as 
I  'm  a  man  I  'm  going  all  round  this  world. ' ' 

Mr.  Kleesman  had  lived  ten  years  in  Malacca.  He 
had  been  in  charge  of  tin  mines  there.  He  was  an  ar- 
tist too,  this  queer  old  gentleman;  and  he  had  painted 
a  great  many  small  pictures  of  things  and  places  he 
saw  there.  These  he  kept  in  an  old  leather  portfolio, 
on  a  shelf  above  his  bed.  This  portfolio  he  now  took 
down,  and  spread  the  pictures  out  on  the  bed,  for  Rob 
and  Nelly  to  look  at.  There  was  a  picture  of  the  house 
he  lived  in  while  he  was  in  Malacca.  It  was  built  of 
bamboo  sticks  and  rattan,  and  looked  like  a  little  toy 


HOW   TO   FIND   A    SILVER   MINE         245 

house.  There  was  a  picture  of  one  of  the  queer  boats 
a  great  many  of  the  Malay  people  live  in.  Think  of 
that :  live  in  a  boat  all  the  time,  and  never  have  a  house 
on  land  at  all.  These  boats  are  about  twenty  feet  long, 
and  quite  narrow ;  at  one  end  they  have  a  fireplace,  and 
at  the  other  end  their  bedroom.  The  bedroom  is  noth- 
ing but  a  mat  spread  over  four  poles;  and  under  this 
mat  the  whole  family  sits  by  day  and  sleeps  by  night. 
They  move  about  from  river  to  river,  and  live  on  fish, 
and  on  wild  roots  which  they  dig  on  the  banks  of  the 
rivers. 

"  My  servant  lif  in  that  boat,"  said  Mr.  Kleesman. 
"  He  take  wife,  and  go  lif  in  a  boat.  His  name  Jinghi. 
I  write  it  for  you  in  Malay. ' ' 

Then  Mr.  Kleesman  wrote  on  a  piece  of  paper  some 
very  queer  characters,  which  Nelly  said  looked  just  like 
the  letters  on  tea-chests. 

' '  Could  you  write  my  name  in  Malay  ?  ' '  asked  Nelly, 
timidly. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  Mr.  Kleesman:  "  I  write."  And 
he  handed  Nelly  a  card  with  the  following  marks  on 
it:  — 


i  t 


Dear  me!  "  said  Nelly:  "  is  that  all  it  takes  to 
write  '  Nelly  '  ?  It  is  a  quicker  language  than  ours : 
isn  't  it  ?  May  I  have  the  paper  ?  ' : 

' '  I  write  you  better, ' '  said  Mr.  Kleesman ;  and  wrote 
it  over  again  on  a  card,  which  Nelly  wrapped  up  care- 
fully and  put  in  her  pocket. 

Rob  wanted  to  ask  for  his  name  too,  but  he  did  not 
dare  to;  and  Mr.  Kleesman  did  not  think  of  it.  He 
meant  to  be  kind  to  Rob;  but  he  was  thinking  most  of 
the  time  about  Nelly.  Nelly  seemed  to  him,  as  he  said, 


246  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

like  a  little  girl  of  Germany,  and  not  of  America ;  and 
he  loved  to  look  at  her,  and  to  hear  her  talk. 

There  were  dozens  of  pictures  in  the  portfolio;  more 
than  I  could  tell  you  about:  pictures  of  streets  in 
Malacca;  pictures  of  the  people  in  their  gay-colored 
clothes,  —  they  looked  like  negroes,  only  not  quite  so 
black;  pictures  of  palm-trees,  with  cocoa-nuts  growing 
on  them ;  pictures  of  pine-apples  growing ;  and  pictures 
of  snakes,  especially  one  of  a  deadly  snake,  —  the  cobra. 

' '  Him  I  kill  in  my  own  house,  close  by  my  veranda, ' ' 
said  Mr.  Kleesman :  ' '  and  I  draw  him  with  all  his 
colors,  while  he  lie  there  dead,  before  he  are  cold. ' ' 

While  they  were  talking,  there  came  in  a  man  in 
rough  clothes,  a  miner,  carrying  a  small  bag  of  stout 
canvas.  He  opened  it,  and  took  out  a  handful  of  stones, 
of  a  very  dark  color,  almost  black. 

"  Would  you  dig  where  you  found  that?  "  he  said, 
holding  out  the  stones  to  Mr.  Kleesman. 

Mr.  Kleesman  took  them  in  his  hand,  looked  at  them 
attentively,  and  said :  — 

"  Yes,  tha^  is  goot  mineral.  There  might  be  mine 
vere  dat  mineral  is  on  top.  We  haf  proverb  in  our 
country,  '  No  mine  is  not  wort  not 'ing  unless  he  haf 
black  hat  on  his  head. '  ' 

The  man  put  his  stones  back  in  his  bag,  nodded  his 
head,  and  went  out,  saying :  — 

"  I  reckon  we'll  buy  that  claim.    I'll  let  you  know." 

A  small  piece  of  the  stone  had  fallen  on  the  floor. 
Nelly  eyed  it  like  a  hawk.  She  was  trying  to  remember 
where  she  had  seen  stones  just  like  it.  She  knew  she 
had  seen  them  somewhere:  she  recollected  thinking  at 
the  time  how  very  black  the  stones  were.  She  picked 
up  the  little  piece  of  stone,  and  asked  Mr.  Kleesman 
if  it  were  good  for  any  thing. 

"  Oh,  no,  for  not 'ing,"  he  said,  and  turned  back  to 
the  pictures,  Nelly's  interest  in  the  pictures  had  grown 


HOW   TO   FIND   A    SILVER   MINE         247 

suddenly  very  small.  The  little  black  stone  had  set  her 
to  thinking.  She  put  it  in  her  pocket,  and  told  Rob  it 
was  time  to  go  home. 

"  Ven  vill  you  again  come?  "  said  Mr.  Kleesman. 

"  Next  Tuesday,"  replied  Nelly.    "  That  is  our  day." 

"  Perhaps  it  vill  be  done  den;  perhaps  not:  cannot 
tell.  But  ven  it  is  done,  I  show  you  all  how  I  make  mine 
assay,"  said  Mr.  Kleesman,  and  kissed  Nelly  again  as 
he  bade  them  good-by. 

"  Now  we'll  go  down  to  Ulrica's,"  said  Nelly,  "  and 
eat  our  lunch  on  her  porch.  I  wonder  what  she  thought 
when  she  saw  the  flowers." 

When  the  children  reached  Ulrica's  house,  they  found 
the  door  open,  and  Ulrica  sitting  on  the  door-step,  pick- 
ing the  feathers  off  a  white  hen.  As  soon  as  she  saw 
Nelly,  she  jumped  up  and  dropped  the  hen.  The 
feathers  flew  in  all  directions ;  but  Ulrica  did  not  mind : 
she  darted  up  to  Nelly,  and  threw  her  arms  round  her 
neck,  and  spoke  so  fast,  —  half  in  Swedish,  half  in 
broken  English,  —  that  Nelly  could  not  understand 
what  she  said.  However,  she  knew  she  was  thanking 
her  for  the  flowers ;  and  so  she  replied :  — 

"  I  am  glad  you  like  them,  Ulrica.  But  are  you  not 
ashamed  to  be  asleep  at  six  o'clock?  And  Rob  and  I 
had  walked  all  the  way  from  the  valley,  and  you  were 
asleep!  and  Jan  too!  " 

Then  Ulrica  told  them  about  the  dance;  and  how 
they  had  been  up  so  late  it  had  made  them  sleepy.  And 
then  she  whisked  up  the  white  hen  again,  and  began 
tearing  off  its  feathers  in  the  greatest  hurry. 

' '  Vat  is  it  you  came  so  soon  ?  ' '  she  said.  ' '  You  must 
to  dinner  stay.  I  kill  dis  for  you,  —  for  your  dinner, 
I  not  tink  you  come  till  sun  high. ' ' 

"  Oh,  stay!  stay,  Nell!  let's  stay!  "  cried  Rob,  who 
had  tasted  Ulrica's  stewed  chicken  once  before,  and  had 
never  forgotten  how  good  it  was.  Ulrica  always  boiled 


248  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

her  chickens  with  a  few  cranberries,  as  they  cook  it  in 
Sweden.  You  would  not  think  it  would  be  good :  but  it 
is  delicious. 

Nelly  thought  a  minute. 

' '  It  will  not  make  us  any  later  than  if  we  had  stayed 
at  Mr.  Kleesman's,"  she  said.  "  Yes,  I  think  we  will 
stay." 

Ulrica  clapped  her  hands  when  Nelly  said  this. 

' '  Goot !  goot !  ' '  she  said,  ' '  mine  child. ' '  And  she 
looked  at  Nelly  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  as  she  so  often 
did.  Then  she  gave  Rob  the  book  of  Swedish  pictures 
to  look  at,  and  he  threw  himself  at  full  length  on  the 
floor  with  it.  You  could  have  eaten  off  the  boards  of 
Ulrica's  house,  she  kept  them  so  clean.  Nelly  sat  in  the 
wooden  rocking-chair,  and  watched  Ulrica  getting  the 
dinner.  Pretty  soon  Nelly  began  to  nod ;  and  in  a  few 
minutes  she  was  fast  asleep.  Ulrica  took  her  up  in  her 
great,  strong  arms,  as  easily  as  if  she  were  a  baby,  and 
carried  her  across  the  room  and  laid  her  on  the  bed. 

'  *  Hullo !  ' '  said  Rob,  when  he  looked  up  from  his  book 
and  saw  Ulrica  carrying  Nelly :  ' '  what 's  the  matter  with 
Nell?  " 

' l  Sh !  sh !  make  not  noise, ' '  whispered  Ulrica.  ' '  She 
haf  sleep.  She  haf  tire  in  the  sun." 

"  We  got  up  before  four  o'clock,"  whispered  Rob: 
"  but  I  ain't  sleepy  a  mite." 

'  *  Dat  iss,  that  you  are  man  and  not  girl, ' '  said  Ulrica ; 
which  pleased  Rob  immensely. 

After  Ulrica  had  laid  Nelly  on  the  bed,  she  went  to 
the  big  chest  in  the  corner,  and  took  out  a  fine  red 
woollen  blanket,  with  bright  blue  figures  in  the  corners. 
This  she  spread  over  Nelly;  and  then  she  stood  looking 
at  her  for  some  minutes.  Nelly's  face,  when  she  was 
asleep,  looked  much  older  than  it  really  was.  Her  eyes 
were  large,  and  her  mouth  was  large,  and  her  cheek- 
bones were  high. 


HOW   TO   FIND   A    SILVER   MINE         249 

"  Mine  child!  mine  .child!  "  muttered  Ulrica,  under 
her  breath,  and  brushed  the  tears  out  of  her  eyes  with 
the  back  of  her  hard  hand,  as  she  went  back  to  her  work. 

When  Nelly  waked  up,  dinner  was  all  ready ;  and  Jan 
and  Ulrica  were  discussing  whether  they  should  wake 
Nelly  or  not. 

"  Oh !  "  exclaimed  Nelly,  sitting  up  and  rubbing  her 
eyes,  "  how  came  I  here?  Where's  Rob?  ' 

Ulrica  sprang  to  her,  and  took  her  little  hand  in  hers. 

"  Mine  child,  you  haf  sleep  in  chair.  I  bring  you  in 
mine  arms  here.  Haf  you  rest?  Come  eat."  And  she 
picked  her  up  again,  and  ran  laughing  back  and  forth 
two  or  three  times  across  the  room  with  her  in  her  arms. 

' '  She  is  like  baby  in  arms :  she  is  so  light, ' '  said  Ul- 
rica to  Jan  in  Swedish.  ' '  She  has  too  much  work. ' ' 

* '  No,  no, ' '  said  Jan :  * '  she  is  all  right.  She  is  at  the 
age  to  be  thin."  But  Ulrica  shook  her  head. 

How  good  that  dinner  was,  and  how  nice  it  looked ! 
There  was  no  cloth  on  the  table ;  but  the  wood  was  white 
as  pine  wood  could  be.  On  one  end  stood  Nelly's  pyra- 
mid of  bright  flowers ;  and,  on  the  other,  the  great  plat- 
ter of  stewed  chicken,  with  the  red  cranberries  floating 
in  the  white  gravy.  Then  there  was  a  big  plate  of  rye 
cakes,  baked  in  the  ashes ;  and  two  pitchers  of  milk,  one 
of  cow's  milk  and  one  of  goat's.  Jan  always  bowed  his 
head  down  and  said  a  short  blessing  in  Swedish,  before 
they  began  to  eat;  and  Nelly  and  Rob  liked  this,  be- 
cause, as  Nelly  said :  — 

"  It  makes  you  feel  as  if  Jan  were  just  as  good  as 
papa:  doesn't  it,  Rob?  " 

And  Rob  said  ' '  Yes ;  ' '  but  in  a  minute  afterward  he 
added:  "  Don't  you  suppose  any  bad  men  say  grace, 
Nell?  " 

11  No,"  said  Nelly;  "  not  real  grace,  real  earnest,  like 
papa  and  Jan.  Perhaps  they  make  believe  say  grace." 

After  dinner,  Nelly  showed  Ulrica  and  Jan  her  little 


250  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

card,  on  which  Mr.  Kleesman  had  written  her  name  in 
Malay.  As  she  took  it  out  of  her  pocket,  the  black  stone 
fell  out  and  rolled  away  on  the  floor.  She  sprang  to 
catch  it. 

"  What's  that?  "  said  Rob. 

' '  A  piece  of  black  stone, ' '  replied  Nelly. 

"  What's  it  for?  "  said  Rob. 

"  Oh,  I  just  wanted  it,"  said  Nelly. 

"  But  what  did  you  want  it  for,  Nell?  "  persisted 
Rob. 


CHAPTER    XII 

NELLY'S  SILVER  MINE 

NELLY  would  not  give  any  reason,  but  put  the  stone 
carefully  back  in  her  pocket.  She  was  determined 
not  to  tell  Rob  any  thing  about  it,  unless  she  found  the 
stones;  and  the  more  she  racked  her  brains  the  more 
confused  she  became  as  to  where  it  was  she  had  seen 
them.  All  the  way  home  she  was  in  a  brown  study, 
trying  to  think  where  it  could  have  been.  She  was  in 
such  a  brown  study  that  she  was  walking  straight  past 
Lucinda  's  door  without  seeing  her,  when  Lucinda  called 
her  name  aloud. 

"  Why,  Nelly,"  she  said,  "  ain't  you  going  to  stop 
long  enough  to  speak?  J: 

"  She  hasn't  spoken  a  word  all  the  way,"  said  Rob, 
discontentedly.  "  I  can't  get  any  thing  out  of  her. 
She's  real  cross." 

"  Oh,  Rob!  Rob!  how  can  you!  "  cried  Nelly:  "  I 
wasn't  cross  a  bit."  , 

"  Then  you're  sulky,"  retorted  Rob;  "  and  mamma 
says  that's  worse." 

"  Tut,  tut,"  said  Lucinda:  "  Nelly  doesn't  look  either 
sulky  or  cross.  I  guess  you're  mistaken,  Rob." 

Nelly  felt  a  little  conscience-stricken.  She  knew  she 
had  been  thinking  hard,  all  the  last  hour,  about  the  black 
stones. 

"Never  mind,  Rob!"  she  said:  "I'll  talk  now." 
And  she  began  to  tell  Lucinda  all  about  the  pictures 
they  had  seen  at  Mr.  Kleesman's. 


252  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

1 '  Oh,  yes !  "  said  Lucinda :  "  I  know  all  about  those. 
My  little  sister's  got  one  of  them:  Mr.  Kleesman  gave 
it  to  her.  He's  real  fond  of  little  girls.  It's  a  picture 
he  made  of  the  black  nurse  he  had  for  his  little  boy. 
She's  got  the  baby  in  her  arms." 

11  Why,  has  Mr.  Kleesman  got  any  children?  "  ex- 
claimed Nelly,  very  much  surprised. 

' '  Oh,  yes !  ' '  said  Lucinda :  "  he 's  got  a  wife  and  two 
children  over  in  Germany.  That's  what  makes  him  so 
blue  sometimes.  His  wife  hates  America,  and  won't 
come  here." 

"  Then  I  should  think  he'd  stay  there,"  said  Nelly. 

"  So  should  I,"  said  Lucinda;  "  but  they  say  it's 
awful  hard  to  make  a  living  over  there;  and  he's  a 
layin'  up  money  here.  He'll  go  back  one  of  these  days." 

' '  Oh !   I  wish  he  'd  take  me  with  him, ' '  said  Rob. 

* '  Rob  March !  would  you  go  away  and  leave  papa 
and  mamma  and  .me  ?  ' '  said  Nelly. 

Rob  hung  his  head.  The  longing  of  a  born  traveller 
was  in  his  eyes. 

"  I  should  come  back,  Nell,"  he  said.  "  I  shouldn't 
stay :  only  just  to  see  the  places. ' ' 

"  Well,"  said  Nelly,  slowly,  "  I  wouldn't  go  away 
from  all  of  you,  not  to  see  the  most  beautiful  things  in 
all  the  world;  not  even  to  see  the  city  of  Constanti- 
nople." 

Rob  did  not  answer.  He  was  afraid  that  there  must 
be  something  wrong  about  him,  to  be  so  willing  to  do 
what  seemed  to  Nelly  such  a  dreadful  thing.  To  see 
Constantinople,  and  hear  the  muezzins  call  out  the  hours 
for  prayers  from  the  mosques,  Rob  would  have  set  off 
that  very  minute  and  walked  all  the  way. 

After  Nelly  went  to  bed  that  night,  she  lay  awake  a 
long  time,  still  thinking  about  the  black  stones.  She 
had  put  the  little  piece  of  stone  on  the  bureau,  and 
while  she  was  undressing  she  hardly  took  her  eyes  off 


NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE  253 

it.  She  recollected  just  how  the  place  looked  where  she 
saw  them.  It  was  in  a  ravine :  there  were  piles  of  stones 
in  the  bottom  of  the  ravine,  and  a  good  many  scattered 
all  along  the  sides.  There  were  pine-trees  and  bushes 
too:  it  was  quite  a  shady  place. 

"  I  should  know  it  in  a  minute,  if  I  saw  it  again," 
said  Nelly  to  herself ;  * '  but  where,  oh !  where  was  it !  " 

At  last,  all  in  one  second,  it  flashed  into  her  mind. 
It  was  one  day  when  she  had  started  for  Rosita  later 
than  usual,  and  had  thought  she  would  take  a  short  cut 
across  the  hills;  but  she  had  found  it  any  thing  but  a 
short  cut.  As  soon  as  she  had  climbed  one  hill  she 
found  another  rising  directly  before  her,  and,  between 
the  two,  a  great  ravine,  down  to  the  very  bottom  of 
which  she  must  go  before  she  could  climb  the  other  hill. 
She  had  crossed  several  of  these  ravines,  —  she  did  not 
remember  how  many,  —  and  had  come  out  at  last  on 
the  top  of  the  highest  of  all  the  hills-  above  the  town: 
a  hill  so  steep  that  she  had  always  wondered  how  the 
cows  could  keep  on  their  feet  when  they  were  grazing 
high  up  on  it.  It  was  in  one  of  these  ravines  that  she 
had  seen  the  black  stones;  but  in  which  one  she  could 
not  be  sure.  Neither  could  she  recollect  exactly  where 
she  had  left  the  road  and  struck  out  to  cross  the  hills. 

"  I  might  walk  and  walk  all  day,"  thought  Nelly, 
* '  and  never  find  it.  How  shall  I  ever  manage  ?  ' ' 

Fortune  favored  Nelly.  The  very  next  day,  Billy 
came  to  the  house  to  ask  if  Mrs.  March  could  spare 
Nelly  to  go  and  stay  two  days  with  Lucinda,  while  he 
was  away.  He  had  an  excellent  chance  to  make  some 
money  by  taking  a  party  of  gentlemen  across  the  valley 
and  up  into  one  of  the  passes  in  the  range,  where  they 
were  going  to  fish.  He  would  be  at  home  the  second 
night :  Nelly  need  stay  only  over  one  night.  Lucinda 
was  not  well,  and  Billy  did  not  like  to  leave  her  alone. 

Mrs.  March  said,  "  Certainly:  Nelly  could  go." 


254  NELLY'S    SILVER    MINE 

As  soon  as  she  told  Nelly  of  the  plan,  Nelly's  heart 
seemed  to  leap  in  her  bosom  with  the  thought :  — 

"  Now  that's  just  the  chance  for  me  to  look  for  the 
stones." 

She  set  off  very  early,  and  reached  Lucinda's  house 
before  eight  o'clock.  After  she  had  unpacked  her  bag, 
and  arranged  all  her  things  in  the  little  room  where  she 
was  to  sleep,  she  asked  Lucinda  if  there  were  any  thing 
she  could  do  to  help  her. 

Lucinda  was  quilting  a  big  bedquilt,  which  was 
stretched  out  on  chairs  and  long  wooden  bars,  and  took 
up  so  much  of  the  room  in  the  kitchen  it  was  hard  to 
get  about. 

"  Mercy,  no,  child!  "  said  Lucinda.  "  I  hain't  got 
nothin'  to  do  but  this  quilt,  an'  I  expect  you  ain't  much 
of  a  hand  at  quiltin'.  'Twan't  my  notion  to  have  ye 
come,  —  not  but  what  I'm  always  glad  to  see  ye;  ye 
know  that,  —  but  I  wan't  afraid  to  be  alone.  But  Billy 
he's  took  it  into  his  head  'tain't  safe  for  me  to  be  alone 
here  nights.  Now  if  there's  any  thing  ye  want  to  do, 
ye  jest  go  'n'  do  it." 

' '  Would  it  make  any  difference  to  you  if  I  were  gone 
all  day,  so  I  am  here  to  sleep  ?  ' '  said  Nelly. 

"  Why,  no,"  replied  Lucinda;  "  not  a  bit.  Did  ye 
want  to  go  into  the  town?  ': 

"  No,"  said  Nelly;  li  but  I  wanted  to  find  a  place  I 
saw  once,  on  the  way  there.  It  was  a  real  deep  place, 
almost  sunk  down  in  the  ground,  full  of  pines  and 
bushes :  a  real  pretty  place.  But  it  wasn  't  on  the  road. 
I  don't  know  's  I  can  find  it;  but  I'd  like  to." 

' '  All  right, ' '  said  Lucinda :  ' '  you  go  off.  I  '11  give 
ye  some  lunch  in  case  ye  get  hungry.  Ye  won't  be  lone- 
some, will  ye,  without  Rob  ?  ' ' 

"  Oh,  no!  "  said  Nelly:  "  I  like  to  be  all  alone  out 
doors. ' ' 

Then  she  bade  Lucinda  good-by,  and  set  off.    For  a 


NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE  255 

half  mile  or  so,  she  walked  in  the  road  toward  Kosita. 
She  recollected  that  she  had  passed  Lucinda's  before  she 
turned  off  from  the  road.  But  the  more  she  tried  to 
remember  the  precise  spot  where  she  had  turned  off  the 
more  confused  she  became.  At  last  she  sprang  out  of 
the  road,  on  the  left  hand  side,  and  began  running  as 
fast  as  she  could. 

"  I  may  as  well  strike  off  in  one  place  as  another," 
she  thought,  "  since  I  can't  remember.  It  cannot  be 
very  far  from  here. ' ' 

She  climbed  one  steep  hill,  and  ran  down  into  the 
ravine  beyond  it ;  then  another  hill,  and  another  ravine, 
—  no  black  stones.  The  sun  was  by  this  time  high,  and 
very  hot.  Nelly  had  done  some  severe  climbing. 

"  On  the  top  of  the  next  hill  I'll  eat  my  lunch,"  she 
thought. 

The  next  hill  was  the  steepest  one  yet.  How  Nelly 
did  puff  and  pant  before  she  reached  the  top ;  and  when 
she  reached  it,  there  was  not  a  single  tree  big  enough 
to  shade  her ! 

"  Oh,  dear!  "  said  Nelly;  and  looked  up  and  down 
the  ravine,  to  see  if  she  could  spy  any  shade  anywhere. 
A  long  way  off  to  the  north,  she  saw  a  little  clump  of 
pines  and  oaks.  She  walked  slowly  in  that  direction, 
keeping  her  foothold  with  difficulty  in  the  rolling  gravel 
on  the  steep  side  of  the  hill.  Just  as  she  reached  the 
first  oak-bush,  her  foot  slipped,  and  she  clutched  hard 
at  the  bush  to  save  herself :  the  bush  gave  way,  and 
she  rolled  down,  bush  and  all,  to  the  very  bottom  of  the 
ravine.  Luckily,  it  was  soft,  sandy  gravel  all  the  way, 
and  she  was  not  in  the  least  hurt :  only  very  dirty  and 
a  good  deal  frightened. 

"  I'll  walk  along  now  at  the  bottom,  where  it  is 
level,"  said  Nelly,  "  and  not  climb  up  till  I  come  to 
where  the  trees  are." 

There  had  been  at  some  time  or  other  a  little  stream 


256  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

in  this  ravine,  and  it  was  in  the  stony  bed  of  it  that 
Nelly  was  walking.  She  looked  very  carefully  at  the 
stones.  They  were  all  light  gray  or  reddish  colored: 
not  a  black  one  among  them.  She  had  in  her  pocket 
the  little  piece  Mr.  Kleesman  had  given  her:  she  took 
it  out,  and  looked  at  it  again.  It  was  totally  unlike  all 
the  stones  she  saw  about  her. 

"  Oh,  dear!  "  sighed  Nelly:  "  I  expect  I  won't  find 
it  to-day.  I'll  come  again  to-morrow.  At  any  rate,  I'll 
go  to  that  nice,  shady  place  to  eat  my  lunch." 

It  was  further  than  she  thought.  In  Colorado,  every 
thing  looks  a  great  deal  nearer  to  you  than  it  really  is : 
the  air  is  so  thin  and  light  that  mountains  twenty  miles 
away  look  as  if  they  were  not  more  than  three  or  four; 
and  there  are  a  great  many  funny  stories  of  the  mis- 
takes into  which  travellers  are  led  by  this  peculiarity  of 
the  air.  They  set  off  before  breakfast,  perhaps,  to  walk 
to  a  hill  which  looks  only  a  little  way  off;  and,  after 
they  have  walked  an  hour  or  two,  there  stands  the  hill, 
still  seeming  just  as  far  off  as  ever.  One  of  the  fun- 
niest stories  is  of  a  man  who  had  been  cheated  in  this 
way  so  often  that  at  last  he  didn't  believe  his  eyes  any 
longer  as  to  whether  a  distance  were  long  or  short ;  and 
one  day  he  was  found  taking  off  his  shoes  and  stockings 
to  wade  through  a  little  ditch  that  anybody  could  easily 
step  over. 

' '  Why,  man  alive !  ' '  said  the  people  who  stood  by, 
' '  what  are  you  about  ?  You  don 't  need  to  wade  a  little 
ditch  like  that !  Step  across  it. ' ' 

"  Ha!  "  said  he,  "  you  needn't  try  to  fool  me  any 
more.  I  expect  that  ditch  is  ten  feet  wide. ' ' 

Nelly  walked  on  and  on  in  the  narrow  stony  bed  of 
the  dried-up  stream.  The  stones  hurt  her  feet,  but  it 
was  easier  walking  than  on  the  rolling  gravel  of  the 
steep  sides  above.  She  stopped  thinking  about  the  black 
stones.  She  was  so  hot  and  tired  and  hungry,  all  she 


NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE  257 

thought  of  was  getting  to  the  trees  to  sit  down.  At  last 
she  reached  the  place  just  below  them.  They  were  much 
higher  up  on  the  hillside  than  she  had  supposed.  She 
stood  looking  up  at  them. 

"  I  expect  I'll  tumble  before  I  get  up  there,"  she 
thought.  It  looked  about  as  steep  as  the  side  of  the 
roof  to  a  house.  But  the  shade  was  so  cool  and  in- 
viting that  Nelly  thought  it  worth  trying  for.  Half-way 
up  her  feet  slipped,  and  down  she  came  on  her  knees. 
She  scrambled  up  ;  and,  as  she  looked  down,  what  should 
she  see,  in  the  place  where  her  knees  had  pressed  into 
the  gravel,  but  a  bit  of  the  black  stone !  At  first  she 
thought  it  was  the  very  piece  she  had  had  in  her  pocket ; 
but  she  felt  in  her  pocket,  and  there  was  her  own  piece 
all  safe.  She  took  it  out,  held  the  two  together,  looked 
at  them,  turned  them  over  and  over :  yes !  the  stones 
were  really,  exactly  the  same  color!  Now  she  was  so 
excited  that  she  forgot  all  about  the  heat,  and  all  about 
her  hunger. 

* '  This  must  be  the  very  ravine !  ' '  she  said,  and  began 
to  look  eagerly  about  her  for  more  of  the  stones.  Not 
another  bit  could  she  find!  In  her  eager  search,  she 
did  not  observe  that  she  was  slowly  working  down  the 
hill,  till  suddenly  she  found  herself  again  at  the  bottom 
of  the  ravine,  in  the  dried  bed  of  the  brook.  Then  she 
stood  still,  and  looked  around  her,  considering  what  to 
do.  At  last  she  decided  to  walk  on  up  the  ravine. 

"  The  big  pile  of  them  was  right  in  such  a  deep  place 
as  this,"  thought  Nelly:  "  I  guess  it's  farther  up." 

It  was  very  hard  walking,  and  Nelly  was  beginning 
to  grow  tired  and  discouraged  again,  when  lo !  right  at 
her  feet,  in  among  the  gray  stones  and  the  red  ones,  lay 
a  small  black  one.  She  picked  it  up :  it  was  of  the  same 
kind.  A  few  steps  farther  on,  another,  and  another: 
she  began  to  stoop  fast,  picking  them  up,  one  by  one. 
She  had  one  hand  full :  then  she  looked  ahead,  and,  only 


258  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

a  little  farther  on,  there  she  saw  the  very  place  she  recol- 
lected so  well,  —  the  ravine  full  of  bushes,  and  low  pine- 
trees,  and  piles  of  stones  among  them.  She  had  found 
it !  Can  you  imagine  how  Nelly  felt  ?  You  see  she  be- 
lieved that  it  was  just  the  same  thing  as  if  she  had  found 
a  great  sum  of  money.  How  would  you  feel  if  you 
should  suddenly  find  at  your  feet  thousands  and  thou- 
sands of  dollars,  if  your  father  and  mother  were  very 
poor,  and  needed  money  very  much  ?  I  think  you  would 
feel  just  as  Nelly  did.  She  sat  straight  down  on  the 
ground,  and  looked  at  the  stones,  and  felt  as  if  she 
should  cry,  —  she  was  so  glad !  Then  the  thought  came 
into  her  mind :  — 

"  Perhaps  this  land  belongs  to  somebody  who  won't 
sell  it.  Perhaps  he  knows  there  is  a  mine  here !  ' '  She 
looked  all  about,  but  she  could  not  see  any  stakes  set 
up  to  show  that  it  was  owned  by  any  one :  so  she  hoped 
it  was  not. 

Now  that  the  excitement  of  the  search  was  over,  she 
began  to  feel  very  hungry  again,  and  ate  her  lunch  with 
a  great  relish.  The  thoughtful  Lucinda  had  put  in  the 
basket  a  small  bottle  of  milk.  Nelly  thought  she  had 
never  tasted  any  thing  so  good  in  her  life  as  that  milk. 
When  you  are  very  thirsty,  milk  tastes  much  better  than 
water.  After  Nelly  had  eaten  her  lunch,  she  filled  her 
basket  with  the  black  stones,  and  set  off  for  home.  Pres- 
ently she  began  to  wonder  if  she  could  find  her  way 
back  again  to  the  spot. 

"That  would  be  too  dreadful/'  thought  she:  "to 
lose  it,  now  I've  just  found  it."  Then  she  recollected 
how,  in  the  story  of  Hop  o'  My  Thumb,  it  said  that 
when  he  was  carried  off  into  the  forest  he  slyly  dropped 
beans  all  along  the  way,  to  mark  the  path,  and  thus 
found  his  way  back,  very  easily  by  means  of  them.  So 
she  resolved  to  walk  along  in  the  bed  of  the  stream,  till 
it  was  time  to  climb  up  and  strike  off  toward  Lucinda 's, 


There  she  saw  the  very  place  she  recollected  so  well. 

Page  2, ~S 


NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE  259 

and  then  to  drop  red  stones  all  along  the  way  she  went, 
till  she  reached  the  beaten  road.  She  took  up  the  skirt 
of  her  gown  in  front,  and  filled  it  full  with  little  red 
stones.  Then  she  trudged  along  with  as  light  a  heart 
as  ever  any  little  girl  had,  scattering  the  stones  along 
the  way,  like  a  farmer  planting  corn. 

When  she  reached  the  road,  she  was  surprised  to  see 
that  she  had  come  out  the  other  side  of  Lucinda  's  house, 
full  quarter  of  a  mile  nearer  home. 

"  Now  this  isn't  anywhere  near  where  I  left  the  road 
before,"  she  said.  "  How '11  I  ever  tell  the  place?  " 

At  first  she  thought  she  would  put  a  bush  up  in  the 
crotch  of  a  little  pine-tree  that  stood  just  there. 

"  No,  that  won't  do,"  she  said:  "  the  wind  might 
blow  it  out. ' ' 

Then  she  thought  she  would  stick  the  bush  in  the 
sand;  but  she  feared  some  horse  or  cow  might  munch 
it  and  pull  it  up.  At  last  she  decided  to  break  down  a 
small  bough  of  the  pine-tree,  and  leave  it  hanging. 

"  We  can't  make  a  mistake,  then,  possibly,"  she 
thought. 

When  she  reached  the  house,  Lucinda  had  cleared 
the  bedquilt  all  away,  and  had  the  table  set  for  supper, 
though  it  was  only  half -past  four  o'clock.  Nelly  was 
not  hungry.  It  seemed  to  her  only  a  few  minutes  since 
she  ate  her  lunch. 

' '  Did  you  find  the  place,  Nelly  ?  ' '  said  Lucinda. 

"  Yes,  "said  Nelly. 

' '  Was  it  as  pretty  as  it  was  before  ?  ' '  Lucinda  asked. 

' '  Oh,  yes !  ' '  said  Nelly ;  ' '  but  it  was  awful  steep 
getting  down  to  it.  I  kept  tumbling  down." 

"  Well,  you're  the  curiousest  child  ever  was!  "  ex- 
claimed Lucinda.  "  Anybody 'd  think  you  got  walkin* 
enough  in  a  week  without  trampin'  off  this  way." 

Nelly  did  not  reply.  She  felt  a  little  guilty  at  letting 
Lucinda  think  it  was  only  to  find  a  pretty  place  she  had 


260  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

gone;  but  she  was  sure  it  would  not  be  best  to  tell  any- 
body about  the  black  stones  till  she  had  told  her  father. 
She  had  hid  them  all  in  a  pile  near  the  pine-tree  whose 
branch  she  had  broken  down;  and  she  meant  to  pick 
them  up  on  her  way  home  the  next  night.  In  the  morn- 
ing it  looked  to  Nelly  as  if  it  never  would  be  night,  she 
was  in  such  a  hurry  to  see  her  father. 

"  Oh,  Lucinda,"  she  said,  "  do  give  me  something  to 
do !  I  don 't  want  to  go  off  to-day.  I  want  to  stay  with 
you. ' '  So  Lucinda  gave  her  some  brown  towels  to  hem, 
and  also  let  her  snap  the  chalked  cord  with  which  she 
marked  out  the  pattern  on  her  quilt;  and,  by  help  of 
these  two  occupations,  Nelly  contrived  to  get  through 
the  day,  till  four  o'clock,  when  she  set  out  for  home.  As 
good  luck  would  have  it,  when  she  was  within  quarter 
of  a  mile  from  home  she  saw  her  father  at  work  in  a 
field.  She  jumped  over  the  fence  and  ran  to  him. 

' '  Papa !  papa !  ' '  she  said,  breathless :  ' '  look  here !  ' ' 
And  she  held  up  her  basket  of  black  stones.  "  This  is 
the  kind  of  stone  that  comes  where  the  silver  is.  There 
is  a  mine  underneath  it  always :  Mr.  Kleesman  said  so. 
And  I  've  found  a  mine :  I  '11  show  you  where  it  is. ' ' 

Mr.  March  laughed  very  heartily. 

1  <  Why,  my  dear  little  girl !  "  he  said,  * '  what  ever  put 
such  an  idea  into  your  head?  I  don't  believe  those 
stones  are  good  for  any  thing." 

Nelly  set  down  her  basket,  and  pulled  her  pocket- 
handkerchief  out  of  her  pocket :  the  little  piece  of  black 
stone  she  had  got  from  Mr.  Kleesman  was  tied  firmly  in 
one  corner. 

"  Look  at  that,  papa,"  she  said,  "  and  see  if  the 
stones  in  the  basket  are  not  just  like  it. ' '  Then  she  told 
her  father  all  about  the  man's  coming  into  the  assayer's 
office  with  a  bag  of  stones  like  that  one,  and  what  Mr. 
Kleesman  said  to  him. 

"  Don't  you  see,  papa,"  she  said,  vehemently,  (l  that 


NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE  261 

it  must  be  a  mine?  Why,  there  are  piles  of  it:  it  has 
all  slipped  down  into  the  bottom  of  this  steep  place; 
there  used  to  be  a  brook  down  there.  I  know  it's  a 
mine,  papa !  And  if  I  found  it,  it 's  ours :  isn  'tit?" 

Nelly's  cheeks  were  red,  and  her  words  came  so  fast 
they  almost  choked  her. 

"  Nelly,  dear,"  said  her  father,  "  don't  you  recollect 
that  once  before  you  thought  you  had  found  silver  ore, 
you  and  Rob,  up  in  the  Ute  Pass?  " 

Nelly  looked  ashamed. 

"  Oh,  papa,"  she  said,  "  that  was  quite  different. 
That  was  when  we  were  little  things.  Papa,  I  know 
this  is  a  mine.  If  you'd  heard  what  Mr.  Kleesman 
said,  you'd  think  so  too.  He  said  in  his  country  they 
had  a  proverb,  that  no  mine  was  good  for  any  thing 
unless  it  had  a  black  hat  on  its  head;  and  that  meant 
that  there  were  always  black  stones  on  top  like  this. ' ' 

Mr.  March  turned  the  little  bit  of  black  stone  over 
and  over,  and  examined  it  carefully. 

"  I  do  not  know  much  about  minerals, ' '  he  said.  ' '  I 
think  I  never  saw  a  stone  like  this. ' ' 

"  Nor  I  either,  papa,"  exclaimed  Nelly:  "  except  in 
this  one  place.  I  know  it's  a  mine,  and  I'll  give  it  to 
you  all  for  your  own.  It's  mine,  isn't  it,  if  I  found 
it?  " 

"  Yes,  dear,  it's  yours,  unless  somebody  else  had 
found  it  before  you." 

"  I  don't  believe  anybody  had,"  said  Nelly;  "  for 
there  weren't  any  stakes  stuck  down  anywhere  near; 
and  all  the  claims  have  stakes  stuck  down  round  them. 
Oh,  papa !  isn 't  it  splendid !  now  we  can  have  all  the 
money  we  want. ' ' 

Mr.  March  smiled  half  sadly. 

"  My  dear  little  daughter,"  he  said,  "  there  are  a 
great  many  more  people  who  have  lost  all  the  money 
they  had  in  the  world  trying  to  get  money  out  of  a  mine, 


262  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

than  there  are  who  have  made  fortunes  in  that  way. 
You  must  not  get  so  excited.  Even  if  there  is  a  mine 
in  the  place  where  you  found  these  stones,  I  don't  think 
I  have  money  enough  to  open  it  and  take  out  the  ore. 
But  I  will  show  these  stones  to  Mr.  Scholfield.  He 
knows  a  great  deal  about  mines." 

"  Oh,  do!  do!  papa,"  exclaimed  Nelly.  "  I  know 
it's  a  mine." 

"  I  am  going  down  there  to-night,"  said  Mr.  March. 
"  I  will  carry  your  stones,  and  see  what  he  says.  In 
the  mean  time,  we  will  not  say  any  thing  about  it  to 
anybody.  You  and  papa  will  just  have  a  little  secret." 

When  Nelly  kissed  her  father  for  good-night,  she 
nodded  at  him  with  a  meaning  glance,  and  he  returned 
the  nod  with  an  equally  meaning  one. 

"  What  are  you  two  plotting?  "  cried  Mrs.  March. 
"  I  see  mischief  in  both  your  eyes." 

"  Oh,  it's  a  little  secret  we  have,  Nelly  and  I,"  said 
Mr.  March.  "  It  won't  last  long:  we'll  tell  you  to- 
morrow. ' ' 

It  turned  out  that  Mrs.  March  did  not  have  to  wait 
till  the  next  day  before  learning  the  secret.  Mr.  March 
got  home  about  midnight  from  Mr.  Scholfield 's.  Mrs. 
March  had  been  sound  asleep  for  two  hours :  the  sound 
of  Mr.  March's  steps  wakened  her. 

"  Is  that  you,  Robert?  "  she  called. 

"  Yes,"  he  said.  There  was  something  in  the  tone 
of  his  voice  which  was  so  strange  that  it  roused  her 
instantly.  She  sat  up  straight  in  bed  and  exclaimed :  — 

11  What  is  the  matter?  " 

"  Nothing,"  said  Mr.  March. 

1 '  Nonsense  !  ' '  said  Mrs.  March :  ' '  you  can 't  deceive 
me.  Something  has  happened.  Come  in  here  this  min- 
ute and  tell  me  what  it  is." 

Then  Mr.  March  told  her  the  whole  story.  He  had 
taken  Nelly's  stones  to  Mr.  Scholfield,  who  had  said 


NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE  263 

immediately  that  there  was  without  doubt  a  mine  in  the 
place  where  that  mineral  was  found;  and,  when  Mr. 
March  had  told  him  as  nearly  as  he  could  from  Nelly's 
description  where  the  spot  was,  he  had  said  that  no 
mines  had  yet  been  discovered  very  near  that  place,  and 
no  claims  were  staked  out. 

"  Scholfield  says  we  must  go  immediately  and  stake 
out  our  claim.  He'll  go  shares  with  me  in  digging; 
and  at  any  rate  will  see  what's  there,"  said  Mr.  March. 

"  Do  you  believe  in  it  yourself,  Robert?  "  asked  Mrs. 
March.  She  was  much  afraid  of  new  schemes  for 
making  money. 

"  Why,  I  can't  say  I'm  very  enthusiastic  about  it," 
replied  Mr.  March;  "  but  then  I  don't  know  any  thing 
about  mines,  you  see.  Scholfield  was  near  wild  over  it. 
He  says  we've  got  silver  there  sure." 

* '  Will  you  have  to  find  money  to  begin  with  ?  ' '  asked 
Mrs.  March,  anxiously. 

"  Well,  Sarah,  considering  that  we  haven't  got  any 
money,  I  don't  see  how  I  can:  do  you?  "  laughed  Mr. 
March.  "  But  Scholfield  says  that  if  I  will  give  him 
a  third  of  the  mine,  he'll  take  another  man  in,  and  they 
two '11  pay  for  the  working  it  at  first.  That  seems  very 
fair:  doesn't  it?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Mrs.  March.  "  If  the  mine 
really  does  turn  out  to  be  very  valuable,  it  is  giving  him 
a  good  deal." 

"  That  is  true,"  replied  Mr.  March.  "  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  perhaps  it  is  not  worth  any  thing;  and,  in 
that  case,  Scholfield  has  the  worst  of  the  bargain.  He 
says,  though,  he  can  tell  very  soon.  He  has  been  in 
mining  a  good  deal;  and  he  can  make  his  own  assays 
with  the  blow-pipe.  We're  to  start  very  early  in  the 
morning,  and  take  Nelly  along  to  show  us  the  way.  The 
dear  child  was  nearly  beside  herself  last  night. ' ' 

*  *  So  that  was  your  secret :  was  it  ?  "  said  Mrs.  March. 


264  NELLY'S   SILVER   NINE 

"  Yes,  and  a  very  hard  one  it  was  for  the  child  to 
keep  too, ' '  said  Mr.  March.  * '  She  was  half  crazy  to  tell 
Bob." 

"  You'll  take  him  along  too:  won't  you?  "  asked 
Mrs.  March. 

"  Oh,  yes,*'  said  Mr.  March:  "  no  more  secrets  now; 
that  is,  not  in  this  house.  We  won't  have  it  talked 
round,  if  we  can  help  it.  Scholfield  says  that  the  min- 
ute it  is  known  we've  found  silver  there,  those  ravines 
will  just  swarm  with  men  prospecting  for  more 
claims. ' ' 

The  next  day,  Mr.  March  and  Mr.  Scholfield  and  Rob 
and  Nelly  set  out  immediately  after  breakfast  for  the 
ravine.  They  stopped  at  Billy's  house  and  took  him 
with  them.  Mr.  Scholfield  had  said  to  Mr.  March,  as 
they  walked  along :  — 

"  If  Long  Billy '11  go  in  with  us,  I'd  rather  have  him 
than  any  man  I  know  about  here.  He's  as  honest  's 
daylight;  I  don't  think  he's  doing  much  this  summer; 
I  think  he'll  go  to  work  digging  right  away." 

Wasn't  Nelly  a  proud  little  girl  as  she  walked  ahead 
of  the  party?  She  kept  hold  of  Rob's  hand,  and  every 
now  and  then  they  would  run  so  fast  that  the  older 
people  had  to  run,  too,  to  keep  up  with  them. 

"  How  do  you  know  the  way  so  well,  Nelly?  "  said 
Mr.  Scholfield. 

Nelly  laughed. 

"  If  you  watch  closely,  you  can  see  what  I  tell  by," 
she  said.  "  It's  in  plain  sight." 

' '  Yes,  plain  sight !  plain  sight !  ' '  shouted  Rob,  to 
whom  Nelly  had  pointed  out  the  little  red  stones.  "  It's 
out  of  a  story. ' ' 

Mr.  Scholfield  and  Mr.  March  and  Billy  all  looked 
around,  perplexed;  but  they  could  see  nothing. 

"  Oh,  tell  us  the  secret,  Guide,"  said  Mr.  March. 
' '  We  are  stupid :  we  can 't  find  it  out. ' ' 


NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE  265 

Then  Nelly  told  them;  and  as  soon  as  she  pointed 
to  the  red  stones  they  wondered  very  much  that  they 
had  not  noticed  them  before. 

It  seemed  a  very  short  way  to  the  ravine,  this  time: 
Nelly  had  reached  it  before  she  thought  of  its  being 
near. 

* '  Why,  here  it  is, ' '  she  said ;  ' '  I  didn  't  think  we  were 
half  way  there." 

Then  she  and  Rob  sat  on  the  ground  and  watched 
the  others.  Rob  was  very  quiet.  He  was  a  good  deal 
overawed  at  the  idea  of  a  real  silver  mine  all  for  their 
own. 

"  Do  you  suppose  it's  right  here,  right  under  our 
feet,  Nell  ?  ' '  said  he,  stamping  his  foot  on  the  ground. 

"  I  dare  say,"  said  Nelly.  "  Perhaps  it  is  all  over 
round  here :  some  of  them  are  as  big  as  a  mile. ' ' 

"  I  wonder  if  they'll  let  us  go  down  as  often  as  we 
want  to,"  said  Rob.  "  They'll  have  to,  won't  they,  if 
it 's  our  own  mine  ?  ' ' 

11  That'll  be  for  papa  to  say,"  answered  Nelly,  de- 
cidedly. "  I've  given  it  to  him.  It's  his  mine." 

While  the  children  were  thus  building  their  innocent 
air-castles  in  a  small  way,  the  brains  of  the  older  people 
were  building  no  less  actively,  and  on  a  larger  scale. 
Both  Billy  and  Mr.  Scholfield  were  much  excited.  Billy 
ran  from  spot  to  spot,  now  hammering  a  stone  in  two 
with  his  hammer,  now  digging  fiercely  into  the  ground 
with  his  pick-axe.  Mr.  Scholfield  went  about  picking 
up  the  black  stones,  and  piling  them  together,  till  he 
had  quite  a  monument  of  them. 

"  I  declare,"  he  said  at  last,  "  it  beats  me  that  this 
place  hasn't  ever  been  found  before,  much  's  this  coun- 
try's been  prospected  over  and  over.  I  don't  know 
what  to  make  of  it.  But  there  isn't  a  sign  of  a  claim 
here  for  miles :  I  know  that. ' ' 

"  Well,  I'll  tell  yer  what  I'm  a  thinkin',"  said  Billy. 


266  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

"I'm  a  thinkin'  that  's  fur  back  's  them  fust  pros- 
pectin'  days  there  was  a  creek  in  here;  'n'  thet's  the 
reason  there  didn  't  nobody  look  here.  I  've  heern  it  said 
hundreds  o'  times  in  town  thet  there  wan't  no  use 
lookin'  along  these  ridges;  they'd  all  been  looked  over 
thorough,  'n'  there  wan't  nothin'  in  'em.  But  we've 
struck  a  silver  mine,  sure :  I  hain  't  any  doubt  of  it. 
Let's  name  her  '  The  Little  Nelly.'  " 

Mr.  March's  face  grew  red.  He  did  not  like  the  idea 
of  having  a  mine  called  after  Nelly;  but  he  did  not 
want  to  hurt  Billy's  feelings.  Before  he- could  speak, 
Mr.  Scholfield  cried  out :  — 

"  Good  for  you,  Billy!  That's  what  we'll  call  it! 
That's  a  name  to  bring  good  luck.  '  The  Little  Nelly!  ' 
and  may  she  turn  out  not  so  '  little, '  after  all ;  and  the 
first  bucketful  of  ore  we  draw  up,  Nelly,  we'll  drink 
your  health,  and  christen  the  mine." 

Nelly  did  not  quite  understand  what  all  this  meant. 

"  Did  you  mean  that  I  am  to  name  the  mine,  sir?  " 
she  said. 

* '  No, ' '  said  Mr.  Scholfield :  "  we  meant  that  we  were 
going  to  name  it  for  you,  by  your  name.  But  you  can 
name  it,  if  you  like.  That  would  be  luckier  still.  Don 't 
you  like  to  have  it  called  by  your  name  ?  ' ' 

Nelly  hesitated. 

i  l  I  think  I  would  rather  not  have  it  named  after  me, ' ' 
she  said :  ' '  some  of  the  mines  have  such  dreadful  names. 
But  I  know  a  name  I  think  would  be  a  real  pretty 
name. ' ' 

"  What's  that?  "  said  her  father. 

"  The  Good  Luck,"  said  Nelly. 

Billy  clapped  his  knee  hard  with  his  hand. 

11  By  jingo!  "  said  he,  "  that's  the  best  name  ever 
was  given  to  a  mine  yet.  '  The  Good  Luck  '  it  shall  be ; 
and  good  luck  it  was  to  you,  Nelly,  the  day  you  struck 
it.  Old  Pine  he  said,  one  day  last  spring,  mebbe  you'd 


NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE  267 

find  a  mine,  when  I  was  a  tellin'  him  how  you  'n'  Rob 
was  allers  lookin'  for  one." 

"  But  I  wasn't  looking  for  this,  Billy,"  said  Nelly. 
"  I  gave  up  looking  for  one  a  long  time  ago,  when  we 
began  to  sell  the  eggs.  It  was  just  an  accident  that  I 
happened  to  remember  the  black  stones  in  here." 

"  That's  the  way  some  of  the  best  mines  have  been 
found,"  said  Mr.  Scholfield:  "  just  by  sheer  accident. 
There  was  a  man  I  knew,  in  California,  had  his  mule 
run  away  from  him  one  day:  it  was  somewhere  in  that 
Tuolomne  region;  and  if  that  mule  didn't  run  straight 
down  into  a  gulch  that  was  just  washed  full  of  free 
gold,  —  and  the  fellow  had  been  walking  in  it  some  time 
before  he  noticed  it!  There's  a  heap  o'  luck  in  this 
world." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  March,  "  there's  a  great  deal  of 
luck ;  but  there  is  a  great  deal  which  is  set  down  to  luck 
which  isn't  luck.  Now,  if  my  little  girl  here  hadn't  had 
the  good-will  and  the  energy  to  try  to  earn  some  money 
for  her  mother  and  me,  she  wouldn't  have  been  search- 
ing for  a  short  cut  to  Bosita  over  these  hills,  and  would 
never  have  found  this  mine." 

"  That's  so,"  said  Mr.  Scholfield,  looking  admiringly 
at  Nelly.  "  She's  a  most  uncommon  girl,  that  Nelly  of 
yours.  I  think  we  ought  to  call  the  mine  after  her ;  it 's 
hers." 

' '  No, ' '  said  Mr.  March :  "  I  like  her  name  for  it  best. 
Let  us  call  it  '  The  Good  Luck.'  " 

Mrs.  March  was  watching  for  her  husband  and  chil- 
dren when  they  came  down  the  lane.  She  had  been 
much  more  excited  about  the  silver  mine  than  she  had 
confessed  to  Mr.  March.  All  day  long  she  had  been 
unable  to  keep  it  out  of  her  mind.  The  prospect  was 
too  tempting.  "  Why  should  it  not  have  happened  to 
us,  as  well  as  to  so  many  people, ' '  she  thought.  ' '  Oh ! 
if  we  only  could  have  just  money  enough  to  give  Rob 


268  NELLY'S    SILVER    MINE 

and  Nelly  a  good  education,  I  would  not  ask  for  any 
thing  more.  And,  even  if  this  is  not  very  much  of  a 
mine,  it  might  give  us  money  enough  for  that."  With 
such  hopes  and  imaginations  as  these  Mrs.  March's  mind 
had  been  full  all  day  long;  and,  when  she  saw  Mr. 
March  and  Rob  and  Nelly  coming  toward  the  house,  she 
felt  almost  afraid  to  see  them,  lest  she  should  see  dis- 
appointment written  on  their  faces. 

Not  at  all.  Rob  and  Nelly  came  bounding  on  ahead, 
and,  as  they  drew  near  the  door,  they  shouted  out :  — 

"  The  Good  Luck!  The  Good  Luck!  It  is  named 
'  The  Good  Luck.'  : 

"  They  wanted  to  call  it  '  The  Little  Nelly,'  but  Nelly 
wouldn't,"  said  Rob.  "  I  don't  see  why.  If  I'd  found 
it,  I'd  have  called  it  '  The  Rob,'  I  know.  They  didn't 
ask  me  to  let  them  call  it  for  me.  If  they  had,  they 
might  and  welcome. ' ' 

"  It  is  really  a  mine,  then?  "  said  Mrs.  March,  look- 
ing at  her  husband. 

"  Yes,  Sarah,  I  think  it  is,"  he  replied.     "  If  Schol- 
field  and  Billy  know,  —  and  they  seem  to  be  very  sure, 
-  there  is  good  promise  of  silver  there ;  and  Nelly  her- 
self has  named  it  '  The  Good  Luck. '  : 

11  Oh,    Nelly!     did    you,    really?  "    exclaimed    Mrs.. 
March.    ' i  You  dear  child !  ' :    And  she  threw  both  arms 
around  Nelly,  and  gave  her  a  great  hug.     "  That's  a 
lovely  name.    I  do  believe  it  will  bring  luck." 

"  I  didn't  want  it  named  after  me,"  said  Nelly.  "  It 
isn  't  as  if  it  was  a  live  thing  — 

"  Subjunctive  mood,  dear!  '  as  if  it  were,'  "  inter- 
rupted Mrs.  March. 

"As  if  it  were,"  repeated  Nelly,  looking  confused. 
"  I  wish  they'd  left  the  subjunctive  mood  out  of  the 
grammar.  I  sha 'n't  ever  learn  it !  It  isn't  as  if  it  were 
a  live  thing,  like  a  baby  or  a  kitten.  I  wouldn't  mind 
having  such  things  called  after  me,  but  some  of  the  mines 


NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE  269 

have  the  awfullest  names,  mamma:  real  wicked  names, 
that  I  shouldn't  dare  to  say." 

"  Well,  they'll  call  it  after  you,  anyhow,  Nell,"  cried 
Rob.  "  Billy  said  so,  coming  home." 

11  They  won't  either,"  said  Nelly,  "  when  it  was  my 
own  mine,  only  I  gave  it  to  papa,  and  I  asked  them  not 
to ;  I  think  it  would  be  real  mean. ' ' 

"Oh,  I  don't  mean  Mr.  Scholfield  and  Billy,"  said 
Rob :  ' '  they  called  it  '  The  Good  Luck  '  as  soon  as  you 
said  so;  but  the  men  around  town.  They'll  hear  it  was 
you  found  it;  and  they'll  call  it  '  The  Nelly,'  always: 
you  see  if  they  don't." 

"  Rob,  don't  tease  your  sister  so,"  said  Mrs.  March. 

"  Why,  does  that  tease  you,  Nell?  "  asked  Rob,  pre- 
tending to  be  very  innocent.  "  I  was  only  telling  you 
what  Billy  said." 

"  I  don't  believe  it,"  said  Nelly:  "  do  you,  papa?  " 

"  No,"  replied  Mr.  March.  "  I  do  not  see  why  they 
should  give  it  any  other  name  than  the  one  the  owners 
give  it." 

"  Well,  you'll  see,"  said  Rob.  "  There  are  ever  so 
many  mines  that  go  by  two  or  three  different  names. 
There's  one  way  off  in  the  north  somewhere,  where  Billy 
used  to  haul  ore,  is  called  '  Bobtail,'  some  of  the  time; 
and  l  Miss  Lucy,'  some  of  the  time.  They  tried  to 
change  '  Bobtail  '  into  '  Miss  Lucy, '  and  they  couldn  't. ' ' 

"  Couldn't!  "  exclaimed  Nelly:  "  what  do  you  mean 
by  that?  " 

"Why,  the  people  wouldn't,"  said  Rob,  saucily: 
"that 'sail." 

"  '  That's  all  '  about  a  great  many  things  in  this 
world,  Rob,"  laughed  his  mother.  "  l  Couldn't  '  is  very 
apt  to  be  only  another  word  for  '  wouldn't  '  with  a  little 
boy  I  know." 

Rob  laughed,  and  left  off  teasing  Nelly  about  the  name 
of  her  mine. 


CHAPTER   XIII 


BILLY  went  to  work  the  very  next  day  at  "  The 
Good  Luck."  First,  he  put  up  a  little  hut,  which 
looked  more  like  an  Indian  wigwam  than  any  thing  else. 
This  was  for  him  and  Mr.  Scholfield  to  sleep  in. 

11  We  can't  take  time  to  go  home  nights  till  we  get 
this  thing  started,"  said  Billy!  "  If  we've  got  ore  here, 
the  sooner  we  get  some  on't  out  the  better;  an'  if  we 
hain't  got  ore  here,  the  sooner  we  find  that  out  the  bet- 
ter." 

All  day  long,  day  after  day,  Billy  and  Mr.  Scholfield 
dug,  till  they  had  a  big  hole,  as  deep  as  a  well,  dug  in 
the  ground.  Then  they  put  a  windlass  at  the  top,  with 
a  long  rope  fastened  to  it,  and  a  bucket  on  the  end  of 
the  rope.  This  bucket  they  lowered  down  into  the  hole, 
just  as  you  lower  a  water-bucket  down  into  a  well ;  then 
they  filled  it  full  of  the  stones  which  they  though  had 
silver  in  them,  and  then  turned  the  windlass  and  drew 
it  up. 

Mr.  Scholfield  pounded  some  of  these  stones  very 
fine,  and  melted  them  with  his  blow-pipe,  and  got  quite 
big  buttons  of  silver  out  of  them.  He  gave  some  of  these 
to  Mr.  March.  When  he  showed  these  to  Nelly,  she  ex- 
claimed :  — 

"Oh!  these  are  a  great  deal  bigger  than  any  I  saw 
in  Mr.  Kleesman's  office.  Our  mine  must  be  a  good 


"THE    GOOD   LUCK"  271 

Mr.  Scholfield  was  in  great  glee.  He  made  the  mosf, 
extravagant  statements,  and  talked  very  foolishly  about 
the  mine :  said  he  would  not  take  half  a  million  of  dol- 
lars for  his  third  of  it;  and  so  on,  till  old,  experienced 
miners  shook  their  heads  and  said  he  was  crazy.  But, 
when  they  saw  the  round  buttons  of  shining  silver  which 
he  had  extracted  from  the  stones,  they  stopped  shaking 
their  heads,  and  thought  perhaps  he  was  right.  The 
fame  of  "  The  Good  Luck  "  spread  all  over  town;  and, 
as  Billy  had  said  there  would  be,  there  were  many  who 
persisted  in  calling  the  mine  "  The  Nelly."  Almost 
everybody  in  Rosita  knew  Nelly  by  sight  by  this  time; 
and  it  gave  the  mine  much  greater  interest  in  their  eyes 
that  it  had  been  found  by  this  good,  industrious  little 
girl,  whom  everybody  liked.  Whenever  Nelly  went  to 
town  now,  people  asked  her  about  her  mine.  She  al- 
ways answered :  — 

* '  It  isn  't  my  mine :  it  is  my  papa 's. ' ' 

"  But  you  found  it,"  they  would  say. 

"  I  found  the  black  hat  it  wore  on  its  head,"  was 
Nelly's  usual  reply:  "  that  is  all.  Mr.  Scholfield  and 
Billy  found  the  silver." 

It  happened  that  it  was  nearly  three  weeks  before 
Bob  and  Nelly  went  to  Mr.  Kleesman's  house  again. 
They  had  now  a  new  interest,  which  made  them  hurry 
through  with  all  they  had  to  do  in  Rosita,  so  as  to  have 
time  on  their  way  home  to  stop  at  "  The  Good  Luck," 
and  watch  Billy  and  Mr.  Scholfield  at  work.  It  was 
an  endless  delight  to  them  to  see  the  windlass  wind, 
wind,  wind,  and  watch  the  heavy  bucket  of  stone  slowly 
coming  up  to  the  mouth  of  the  hole.  Then  Billy  would 
let  Rob  take  the  bucket  and  empty  it  on  the  pile  of 
shining  gray  ore  which  grew  higher  and  higher  every 
day.  Sometimes  the  children  stayed  here  so  late  that 
it  was  after  dark  when  they  reached  home ;  and  at  last 
Mrs.  March  told  them  that  they  must  not  go  to  the  mine 


272  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

every  time  they  went  to  Rosita:  it  made  their  walk 
too  long.  She  said  they  might  go  only  every  other  time. 

"  Let's  go  Tuesdays,"  said  Rob. 

"Why?  "said  Nelly. 

"  It  never  seems  half  so  long  from  Tuesday  till  Fri- 
day as  it  does  from  Friday  to  Tuesday, ' '  said  Rob. 

"  Why,  why  not?  "  asked  Nelly. 

"Oh,  I  don't  know,"  said  Rob.  "  Sunday's  twice 
as  long  as  any  other  day :  I  guess  that 's  it. ' ' 

"  But  you've  got  the  Sunday  each  week,"  exclaimed 
Nelly:  "  it  isn't  any  shorter  from  Tuesday  to  Tuesday 
than  from  Friday  to  Friday:  what  a  silly  boy!  The 
Sunday  comes  in  all  the  same.  Don 't  you  see  ?  " 

Rob  looked  puzzled. 

"  I  don't  care,"  he  said:  "  it  seems  ever  so  much 
shorter. ' ' 

The  first  day  that  they  were  not  to  go  to  the  mine, 
Rob  said :  — 

"  See  here,  Nell:  if  we  can't  go  to  the  mine,  let's 
go  and  see  old  Mr.  Kleesman.  His  furnace  must  be 
done  by  this  time.  Perhaps  he'll  be  making  an  assay 
to-day." 

"  Oh,  good!  "  said  Nelly.  "  I  declare  I'd  almost  for- 
gotten all  about  him :  hadn  't  you  ?  ' ' 

' '  No,  indeed !  ' '  said  Rob :  "  I  liked  the  mine  better ; 
but  let's  go  there  to-day." 

"  And  we'll  go  and  eat  our  lunch  at  Ulrica's  too," 
said  Nelly.  "  We  haven't  taken  it  there  for  ever  so 
long :  she  said  so  Tuesday.  We  '11  go  to-day. ' ' 

"So  we  will,"  said  Rob.  "  Perhaps  she'll  have 
stewed  chicken. ' ' 

"  Oh,  for  shame,  Rob!  "  said  Nelly. 

"  What  for?  "  said  Rob:  "  I  don't  see  any  shame. 
Where 's  the  shame  ?  ' ! 

"  Shame  to  think  about  something  to  eat  when  you 
go  to  see  people,"  replied  Nelly. 


"THE    GOOD   LUCK"  273 

"  Now,  Nell  March,  didn't  you  think  of  it,  honest 
Indian  ?  ' '  said  Rob. 

"  Well,  it's  worse  to  say  it,"  stammered  Nelly. 
"  Perhaps  I  did  think  of  it,  just  a  little,  little  bit;  but 
I  always  try  not  to. ' ' 

' t  Ha !  ha !  Miss  Nell !  I  've  caught  you  this  time ; 
and  I  don't  think  it's  a  bit  worse  to  say  it:  so,  there! 
Stewed  chicken!  stewed  chicken!  "  And  Rob  danced 
along  in  front  of  Nelly,  shouting  the  words  in  her  very 
face.  Nelly  could  not  help  laughing,  though  she  was 
angry. 

"  Rob,"  she  said,  "  you  can  be  the  worst  torment  I 
ever  saw. ' ' 

11  That's  only  because  you  haven't  had  any  other 
torment  but  me,"  cried  Rob,  still  dancing  along  back- 
wards in  front  of  Nelly. 

"  Hullo!  hullo!  "  said  a  loud,  gruff  voice  just  behind 
him:  "  don't  run  me  down,  young  man!  Which  side 
of  the  way  will  you  have,  or  will  you  have  both  ?  ' ' 

Very  much  confused,  Rob  turned  and  found  himself 
nearly  in  the  arms  of  an  old  man  with  rough  clothes 
on,  but  with  such  a  nice,  benevolent  face  that  Rob  knew 
he  was  not  going  to  be  angry  with  him. 

11  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,"  he  said.  "  I  didn't  see 
you." 

' '  Naturally  you  didn  't,  since  you  have  no  eyes  in  the 
back  of  your  head,"  said  the  old  man.  "  Do  you  al- 
ways walk  backwards,  or  is  it  only  when  you  are  teasing 
your  sister  ?  ' : 

Nelly  hastened  to  defend  Rob. 

1 '  Oh,  sir, ' '  she  said,  '  *  he  was  not  really  teasing  me : 
he  was  only  in  fun. ' ' 

The  old  man  smiled  and  nodded. 

"  That's  right!  that's  right!  "  he  said. 

They  had  just  now  reached  Mr.  Kleesman's  steps. 
Rob  sprang  up,  two  steps  at  a  time. 


274  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 


'  What !  ' '  said  the  old  man,  ' (  are  you  going  in  here  ? 
So  am  I."    And  they  all  went  in  together. 

Mr.  Kleesman  was  very  glad  to  see  Nelly. 

"  I  haf  miss  you  for  many  days,"  he  said.  "  Vy  is 
it  you  not  come  more  to  see  assay  ?  ' ! 

' '  We  have  been  very  busy, ' '  said  Nelly :  ' '  and  have 
not  stayed  in  town  any  longer  than  we  needed  to  sell 
our  things. ' ' 

11  I  know!  I  know!  "  said  Mr.  Kleesman:  "  you  haf 
been  at  the  Goot  Luck  mine !  ' : 

"  Why,  who  told  you  about  it?  "  exclaimed  Rob. 

"  Ach!  "  said  Mr.  Kleesman,  "  you  tink  dat  mines 
be  to  be  hid  in  dis  town?  Not  von  but  knows  of  '  Goot 
Luck,'  dat  the  little  maid-child  haf  found;  "  and 
he  looked  at  Nelly  and  smiled  affectionately.  "  And 
not  von  but  iss  glad,"  he  added,  patting  her  on  the 
head. 

Then  he  turned  to  the  old  man  who  had  come  in  with 
the  children,  and  said,  politely :  — 

"  Vat  can  I  do  for  you,  sir?  " 

The  man  took  off  his  hat  and  sat  down,  and  pulled 
out  of  his  pocket  a  little  bag  of  stones,  and  threw  it  on 
the  table. 

"  Tell  me  if  that's  worth  any  thing,"  he  said. 

Mr.  Kleesman  took  a  small  stone  out  of  the  bag,  and 
called :  — 

"  Franz!   Franz!  " 

Franz  was  Mr.  Kleesman 's  servant.  He  tended  the 
fires,  and  pounded  up  the  stones  fine  in  an  iron  mortar, 
and  did  all  Mr.  Kleesman 's  errands. 

Franz  came  running;  and  Mr.  Kleesman  gave  him 
the  stone,  and  said  something  to  him  in  German.  Franz 
took  the  stone,  and  disappeared  in  the  back  room. 

"  After  he  haf  make  it  fine,"  said  Mr.  Kleesman,  "  I 
shall  assay  it  for  you."  Then,  turning  to  Nelly  and 
Kob,  he  said :  — 


"THE    GOOD   LUCK"  275 

"  Can  you  stay?  I  make  three  assay  now  in  three 
cups. '  ' 

' '  Yes,  indeed,  we  can !  ' '  said  Nelly :  ' '  thank  you ! 
That  is  what  we  came  for.  We  thought  the  furnace 
must  be  mended  by  this  time. ' ' 

While  Franz  was  pounding  the  stone,  the  old  man 
told  Mr.  Kleesman  about  his  mine.  Nelly  listened  with 
attentive  ears  to  all  he  said:  but  Rob  was  busy  study- 
ing the  pretty  little  brass  scales  in  the  glass  box.  The 
man  said  that  he  and  two  other  men  had  been  at  work 
for  some  months  at  this  mine.  The  other  two  men  were 
sure  the  ore  was  good;  one  of  them  had  tried  it  with 
the  blow-pipe,  he  said,  and  got  plenty  of  silver. 

11  But  I  just  made  up  my  mind/'  said  the  man,  "  that, 
before  I  put  any  more  money  in  there,  I  'd  come  to  some- 
body that  knew.  I  ain't  such  a  sodhead  as  to  think  I 
can  tell  so  well  about  things  as  a  man  that's  studied 
'em  all  his  life ;  and  I  asked  all  about,  and  they  all  said, 
'  Kleesman 's  the  man:  he'd  give  you  an  honest  assay 
of  his  own  mind  if  he  could  get  at  it  and  weigh  it.'  : 

Mr.  Kleesman  laughed  heartily.  He  was  much  pleased 
at  this  compliment  to  his  honesty. 

"  Yes,  I  tell  you  all  true,"  he  said.  "  If  it  be  bad, 
or  if  it  be  good,  I  tell  true." 

"  That's  what  I  want,"  said  the  man.    " 

Then  Franz  came  in  with  the  fine-powdered  stone  in 
a  paper.  Mr.  Kleesman  took  some  of  it  and  weighed 
it  in  the  little  brass  scales.  Then  he  took  some  fine- 
powdered  lead  and  weighed  that.  Then  he  mixed  the 
fine  lead  and  the  powdered  stone  together  with  a  knife. 

11  I  take  twelve  times  as  much  lead  as  there  iss  of  the 
stone, ' '  he  said. 

"  What  is  the  lead  for?  "  asked  Nelly. 

"  The  lead  he  will  draw  out  of  the  stone  all  that  are 
bad :  you  will  see. ' ' 

Then  he  put  the  powdered  stone  and  the  lead  he  had 


276  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

mixed  together  into  a  little  clay  cup,  and  covered  it  over 
with  more  of  the  fine-powdered  lead.  Then  he  put  in 
a  little  borax. 

1 '  He  helps  it  to  melt, ' '  he  said. 

Then  he  went  through  into  the  back  room,  carrying 
this  cup  and  two  others  which  were  standing  on  the 
table  already  filled  with  powder  ready  to  be  baked. 

Rob  and  Nelly  and  the  old  man  followed  him.  He 
opened  the  door  of  the  little  oven  and  looked  in:  it 
was  glowing  red  hot.  Then  he  took  up  each  cup  in 
tongs,  and  set  it  in  the  oven.  When  all  three  were  in, 
he  took  some  burning  coals  from  the  fire  above,  and  put 
them  in  the  mouth  of  the  oven,  in  front  of  the  cups. 

"  Dat  iss  dat  cold  air  from  door  do  not  touch  dem," 
he  said.  Then  he  shut  the  door  tight,  and  said :  — 

"  Now  ve  go  back.    Ye  vait  fifteen  minute." 

He  held  his  watch  in  his  hand,  so  as  not  to  make  a 
mistake.  When  the  fifteen  minutes  were  over,  he  opened 
the  oven-door  to  let  a  current  of  cool  air  blow  above 
the  little  cups.  Nelly  stood  on  a  box,  as  she  had  before, 
and  looked  in  through  the  queer  board  with  holes  in 
it  for  the  eyes.  The  metal  in  the  little  cups  was  bubbling 
and  as  red  as  fire.  Rob  tried  to  look,  but  the  heat  hurt 
his  eyes  so  he  could  not  bear  it. 

11  Yen  de  cold  air  strike  the  cups,"  said  Mr.  Klees- 
man,  "  then  the  slag  are  formed." 

"  Oh,  what  is  slag?  "  cried  Rob. 

"  'All  that  are  bad  go  into  the  slag,"  said  Mr.  Klees- 
man. 

Then  he  put  on  a  pair  of  thick  gloves,  and  a  hat  on 
his  head,  and  went  close  up  to  the  fiery  oven  door,  and 
took  out  the  cups,  and  emptied  them  into  little  hollow 
places  in  a  sheet  of  zinc.  The  instant  the  hot  metal 
touched  the  cool  zinc,  it  spread  out  into  a  fiery  red  rose. 

"  Oh,  how  lovely!  "  cried  Nelly. 

"  By  jingo!  "  said  Rob. 


"THE    GOOD   LUCK"  277 

Even  while  they  were  speaking,  the  bright  red  rose 
turned  dark,  —  hardened,  —  and  there  lay  three  shining 
buttons,  flat  and  round.  Their  rims  looked  like  dark 
glass ;  and  in  their  centres  was  a  bright,  silvery  spot. 

Mr.  Kleesman  took  a  hammer  and  pounded  off  all 
this  dark,  shining  rim.  Then  he  pounded  the  little  sil- 
very buttons  which  were  left  into  the  right  shape  to  fit 
into  some  tiny  little  clay  cups  he  had  there.  They 
were  shaped  like  a  flower-pot,  but  only  about  an  inch 
high. 

' '  Now  these  must  bake  one-half  hour  again, ' '  he  said ; 
and  put  them  into  the  oven.  Pretty  soon  he  opened 
the  oven-door  to  let  the  cold  air  in  again,  as  he  had 
done  before.  That  would  make  all  the  lead  go  off,  he 
said :  it  would  melt  into  the  little  cups,  and  leave  noth- 
ing but  the  pure  silver  behind. 

' '  Now  vatch !  vatch !  "  he  said  to  Nelly.  ' '  In  von 
minute  you  shall  see  a  flash  in  de  cups,  like  lightning, 
just  one  second:  it  are  de  last  of  de  lead  driven  avay; 
den  all  is  done." 

Nelly  watched  with  all  her  might.  Sure  enough,  flash ! 
flash !  flash !  in  all  three  of  the  cups  it  went ;  the  cups 
were  fiery  red;  as  Mr.  Kleesman  took  them  out,  they 
turned  yellow;  they  looked  like  the  yolk  of  a  hard- 
boiled  egg  hollowed  out,  —  and  there,  in  the  bottom  of 
each,  lay  a  tiny,  tiny  silver  button !  Mr.  Kleesman  car- 
ried them  into  the  front  room  and  weighed  them.  Two 
of  them  were  heavy  enough  to  more  than  weigh  down 
the  little  button  which  was  always  kept  in  the  left-hand 
scale.  That  showed  that  the  ore  had  silver  enough  in 
it  to  make  it  worth  while  to  work  it.  The  third  one  was 
so  small  you  could  hardly  see  it.  That  was  the  one  which 
belonged  to  the  old  man. 

"  Your  ore  are  not  wort  not  'ing, "  said  Mr.  Klees- 
man to  him.  Nelly  looked  sorrowfully  at  the  old  man's 
face ;  but  he  only  smiled,  and  said :  — 


278  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

"  Well,  that's  just  what  I've  suspicioned  all  along. 
I  didn't  believe  much  in  all  that  blow-pipe  work.  I'm 
out  about  a  hundred  dollars,  —  that 's  all,  —  not  count- 
ing my  time  any  thing.  It's  the  time  I  grudge  more'n 
the  money.  Much  obliged  to  ye,  sir."  And  the  philo- 
sophical old  fellow  handed  out  his  three  dollars  to  pay 
for  the  assay,  and  walked  off  as  composedly  as  if  he  had 
had  good  news  instead  of  bad. 

Nelly  looked  very  grave.  She  was  thinking  of  what 
her  father  had  said  about  Mr.  Seholfield's  blow-pipe. 

"  Perhaps  Mr.  Scholfield  was  all  wrong  too,  just  like 
this  other  man.  Perhaps  our  mine  isn't  good  for  any 
thing." 

Nelly's  face  was  so  long  that  kind-hearted  Mr.  Klees- 
man  noticed  it,  and  said :  — 

' '  You  haf  tired :  it  are  too  long  that  you  look  at  too 
many  t  'ings.  You  shall  sit  here  and  be  quiet. ' ' 

"  Oh,  no,  thank  you,"  said  Nelly:  "  I  am  not  tired. 
I  was  only  thinking." 

Mr.  Kleesman  really  loved  Nelly,  and  it  distressed 
him  to  see  her  look  troubled.  He  wanted  to  know  what 
troubled  her;  but  he  did  not  like  to  ask.  He  looked  at 
her  very  sympathizingly,  and  did  not  say  any  thing. 

"  Is  not  a  blow-pipe  good  for  any  thing  to  tell  about 
silver?  "  said  Nelly,  presently. 

' '  Oh,  ho  !  "  thought  Mr.  Kleesman  to  himself :  ' '  now 
I  know  what  the  little  wise  maiden  is  thinking:  it  is 
her  father's  mine.  It  did  not  escape  her  one  word  which 
this  man  said." 

But  he  replied  to  her  question  as  if  he  had  not  thought 
any  thing  farther. 

1 '  Not  very  much :  the  blow-pipe  cannot  tell  true.  It 
tell  part  true ;  not  all  true. ' ' 

Nelly  sighed,  and  said :  — 

' '  Come,  Rob :  it  is  time  for  us  to  go.  We  are  very 
much  obliged  to  you  for  letting  us  see  the  assay.  It  is 


"THE    GOOD   LUCK'3  279 

the  most  wonderful  thing  I  ever  saw.     It  is  just  like  a 
fairy  story.    Come,  Rob." 

Rob  also  thanked  Mr.  Kleesman;  and  they  went 
slowly  down  the  steps. 

"  Stay!  stay!  "  said  Mr.  Kleesman.  "  Little  one, 
vill  you  not  ask  your  father  that  he  send  me  some  of 
the  ore  from  the  Goot  Luck  mine?  I  shall  assay  it  for 
you,  and  I  vill  tell  you  true  how  much  silver  there 
should  come  from  each  ton,  that  you  are  not  cheated  at 
the  mill  vere  dey  take  your  ore  to  make  in  de  silver 
brick." 

Nelly  ran  back  to  Mr.  Kleesman,  and  took  his  hand 
in  hers. 

' '  Oh,  thank  you !  thank  you !  ' '  she  said :  ' '  that  was 
what  I  was  thinking  about.  I  was  thinking  what  if  our 
mine  should  turn  out  like  that  man's  that  was  here  this 
morning. ' ' 

*  ' '  Oh,  no :  It  'ink  not.  Every  von  say  it  iss  goot, 
very  goot,"  said  Mr.  Kleesman.  "  But  I  like  to  make 
assay.  You  tell  your  father  I  make  it  for  not 'ing:  I 
make  it  for  you." 

"  I  will  tell  him,"  said  Nelly;  "  and  I  am  sure  he 
will  be  very  glad  to  have  you  do  it.  I  will  bring  some 
of  the  ore  next  time.  Good-by!  "  And  she  and  Rob 
ran  off  very  fast,  for  it  was  past  Ulrica's  dinner-time. 

When  they  reached  the  house,  it  was  shut  up :  the 
curtains  down,  and  the  door  locked.  Ulrica  had  gone 
away  for  the  day,  to  do  washing  at  somebody's  house; 
and  Jan  had  taken  his  dinner  to  the  mill.  The  children 
sat  on  the  doorstep  and  ate  their  lunch,  much  disap- 
pointed. Then  they  tried  to  think  of  some  way  to  let 
Ulrica  know  they  had  been  there. 

"  If  we  only  had  a  card  such  as  ladies  used  to  leave 
for  mamma  when  she  was  away, ' '  said  Rob, ' '  that  would 
be  nice." 

"  I'll  tell  you,"  said  Nelly:  "  we'll  prick  our  names 


280  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

on  two  of  the  cottonwood  leaves  in  the  top  of  your  hat : 
they'll  do  for  cards." 

Rob  always  put  a  few  green  leaves  in  the  top  of  his 
hat,  to  make  his  head  cool.  It  keeps  out  the  heat  of 
the  sun  wonderfully.  One  variety  of  the  cottonwood 
leaf  is  a  smooth,  shining  leaf,  about  as  large  as  a  lilac 
leaf,  and  much  like  it  in  shape.  This  was  the  kind  Rob 
had  in  his  hat.  Nelly  picked  out  the  two  biggest  ones, 
and  then  with  a  pin  she  slowly  pricked  "  Nelly  "  on 
one  and  "  Rob  "  on  the  other. 

"  There!  "  she  said,  when  they  were  done:  "aren't 
those  nice  cards?  Now  I'll  pin  them  on  the  door,  close 
above  the  handle,  so  that  Ulrica  can't  open  the  door 
without  seeing  them." 

"  What  fun!  "  said  Rob.  "  I  say,  Nell,  you're  a 
capital  hand  to  think  of  things." 

Nelly  laughed. 

"  Why,  Rob,"  she  said,  "  sometimes  you  find  fault 
with  me  just  because  I  do  '  think  of  things,'  as  you 
call  it." 

"  Oh,  those  are  different  things,"  said  Rob.  "  You 
know  what  I  mean:  bothers.  Such  things  as  these 
cards  are  fun." 

When  Ulrica  came  home  at  night  from  her  washing, 
she  was  very  tired ;  and  she  put  her  hand  on  the  handle 
of  her  door  and  turned  it  almost  without  looking,  and 
did  not  at  first  see  the  green  leaves.  But,  as  the  door 
swung  in,  she  saw  them. 

1 '  Ah,  den !  vat  is  dat  ?  "  she  exclaimed.  1 1  Dem  boys 
at  deir  mischiefs  again !  ' :  And  she  was  about  to  tear 
the  leaves  down  angrily,  when  she  caught  sight  of  the 
fine-pricked  letters.  She  looked  closer,  and  made  out 
the  word  "  Nelly;  "  then  on  the  other  one  "  Rob." 

' '  Ach  !  mine  child !  mine  child !  "  she  exclaimed. 
1 '  She  haf  been  here :  she  make  that  the  green  leaf  say 
her  name  to  me.  Mine  blessed  child!  "  And  Ulrica 


"THE    GOOD   LUCK"  281 

took  the  leaves  and  laid  them  away  in  a  little  yellow 
carved  box,  in  the  shape  of  a  tub,  which  she  had  brought 
from  Sweden.  When  Jan  sat  down  at  his  supper,  she 
took  them  out,  and  laid  them  by  his  plate,  and  told  him 
where  she  found  them.  Jan  was  much  pleased,  and 
looked  a  long  time  curiously  at  the  pricked  letters. 
Then  he  laid  the  leaves  back  in  the  box,  and  said  to 
Ulrica :  — 

"  Why  do  you  not  make  for  the  child  a  gown,  such 
as  the  Swede  child  wears,  of  the  blue  and  the  red? 
Think  you  not  it  would  please  her  ?  ' ' 

"  Not  to  wear,"  said  Ulrica.  "  She  would  not  like 
that  every  one  should  gaze. ' ' 

"  Oh,  no,  not  to  wear  for  people  to  see,"  said  Jan; 
"  but  to  keep  because  it  is  strange  and  different  from 
the  dress  of  this  country.  The  rich  people  that  did 
come  travelling  to  Sweden  did  all  buy  clothes  like  the 
Swede  clothes,  to  take  home  to  keep  and  to  show." 

"  Yes!  yes!  I  will!  "  exclaimed  Ulrica, .  much  de- 
lighted at  the  thought ;  ' '  but  it  shall  have  no  buttons : 
we  cannot  find  buttons." 

' '  Wilhelm  Sachs  will  make  them  for  me  out  of  tin : 
that  will  do  very  well,  just  for  a  show,"  said  Jan.  "  It 
is  not  for  money;  but  only  that  they  shine  and  be 
round. ' ' 

So  after  supper  Ulrica  took  the  roll  of  blue  cloth  out 
of  the  chest,  and  began  to  measure  off  the  breadths. 

"  How  tell  you  that  it  is  right?  "  said  Jan. 

"  By  my  heart,"  said  the  loving  Ulrica:  il  I  know 
mine  child  her  size  by  my  heart.  It  vill  be  right..' ' 

But  for  all  that  it  turned  out  that  she  cut  the  breadths 
too  long,  and  had  to  hem  a  deep  hem  at  the  bottom; 
which  wasted  some  of  the  cloth,  and  vexed  Ulrica's 
economical  soul.  But  we  have  not  come  to  that  yet. 
We  must  go  home  with  Nelly  and  Rob. 

Nelly  had  made  up  her  mind  not  to  tell  her  father 


282  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

any  thing  about  Mr.  Kleesman 's  proposal  to  make  the 
assay  until  she  could  see  him  all  alone;  but  she  forgot 
to  tell  Rob  not  to  speak  of  it;  and  they  had  hardly 
taken  their  seats  at  the  tea-table  when  Rob  exclaimed :  — 

"  Papa!  don't  you  think  Mr.  Kleesman  says  a  blow- 
pipe isn't  good  for  any  thing  to  tell  about  silver  with. 
And  there  was  a  man  there  to-day,  with  ore  out  of  his 
mine,  and  it  hadn  't  any  silver  at  all  in  it,  —  not  any 
to  speak  of,  —  and  he  thought  it  was  splendid :  he  and 
two  other  men;  they  had  tried  it  with  a  blow-pipe." 

Mr.  Scholfield  was  taking  tea  with  the  Marches  this 
night.  He  listened  with  a  smile  to  all  Rob  said.  Then 
he  said :  — 

"  That's  just  like  Kleesman.  He  thinks  nobody  but 
he  can  tell  any  thing.  It's  the  money  he's  after.  I 
see  through  him.  Now  I  know  I  can  make  as  good  an 
assay  with  my  blow-pipe  as  he  can  with  all  his  little 
cups  and  saucers  and  gimcracks,  any  day." 

Nelly  grew  very  red.  She  did  not  like  to  hear  Mr. 
Kleesman  so  spoken  of.  She  opened  her  mouth  to  speak : 
then  bit  her  lips,  and  remained  quiet. 

"  What  is  it,  Nelly?  "  said  her  father. 

"  Nothing,  sir,"  replied  Nelly:  "  only  I  don't  think 
Mr.  Kleesman  is  like  that.  He  is  very  kind. ' ' 

"  Oh,  yes,  he's  kind  enough,"  said  Mr.  Scholfield: 
11  he's  a  good-natured  fellow.  But  it's  all  moonshine 
about  his  being  the  only  one  who  can  make  assays. 
There's  a  plenty  of  mines  working  here  to-day  that 
haven't  ever  had  any  assay  made  except  by  the  blow- 
pipe. . There 's  no  use  in  paying  a  fellow  three  or  four 
or  five  dollars  for  doing  what  you  can  do  yourself." 

' '  But  that  man  said  —  ' '  began  Rob. 

11  Be  quiet  now,  Rob,"  said  Mr.  March.  "  We  won't 
talk  any  more  about  it  now. ' ' 

After  Mr.  Scholfield  had  gone  away,  Mr.  March  called 
Nelly  out  of  the  room. 


"THE    GOOD   LUCK"  283 

' '  Come  walk  up  and  down  in  the  lane  with  me,  Nell, ' ' 
he  said,  "  and  tell  me  all  about  what  happened  at  Mr. 
Kleesman  's. ' ' 

Then  Nelly  told  her  father  all  about  it,  from  begin- 
ning to  end. 

"  Upon  my  word,  Nell,"  he  said,  "  you  seem  to  have 
studied  the  thing  carefully.  I  should  think  you  could 
almost  make  an  assay  yourself." 

:'  I  guess  I  could  if  I  had  the  cups  and  things,"  said 
Nelly:  "  I  recollect  every  thing  he  did.  But,  papa, 
won't  you  let  him  take  some  ore  from  our  mine,  and  let 
him  see  if  it  is  good  by  his  way?  He  won't  ask  us 
any  thing:  he  said  he  was  doing  it  every  day,  and  he 
could  put  in  one  more  cup  as  well  as  not.  Oh,  do, 
papa!  " 

"I'll  think  about  it,"  said  Mr.  March. 

That  night  he  talked  it  over  with  Mrs.  March,  and 
she  was  as  anxious  as  Nelly  that  he  should  let  Mr. 
Kleesman  make  the  assay.  This  decided  Mr.  March; 
and  the  next  morning  he  said  to  Nelly :  — 

' '  Well,  Nelly,  you  shall  have  your  way,  —  you  and 
mamma.  I  will  take  some  of  the  ore  to  your  old  friend. 
I  shall  go  up  with  you  to-morrow  myself,  and  carry  it. 
I  do  not  like  to  send  it  by  you." 

"  Oh,  good!  good!  "  cried  Nelly,  and  jumped  up  and 
down,  and  ran  away  to  find  Rob  and  tell  him  that 
their  father  would  walk  into  town  with  them  the  next 
day. 

When  Nelly  walked  into  Mr.  Kleesman 's  room,  hold- 
ing her  father  by  the  hand,  she  felt  very  proud.  She 
had  always  thought  her  father  handsomer  and  nicer  to 
look  at  than  any  other  man  in  the  world;  and,  when 
she  said  to  Mr.  Kleesman,  "  Here  is  my  father,  sir," 
this  pride  was  so  evident  in  her  face  that  it  made  Mr. 
Kleesman  laugh.  It  did  not  make  him  love  Nelly  any 
less,  however.  It  only  made  him  think  sadly  of  the 


2&4  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

little  girl  way  off  in  Germany,  who  would  have  just  as 
much  pride  in  his  face  as  Nelly  did  in  her  father's.  Mr. 
Kleesman's  love  for  Nelly  made  him  treat  Mr.  March 
like  an  old  friend. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you  here,  "*  he  said.  "  I  haf  for 
your  little  girl  von  great  friendship :  she  iss  so  goot. 
I  say  often  to  myself,  she  haf  goot  father,  goot  mother. 
She  iss  not  like  American  childs  I  haf  seen." 

Mr.  March  was  glad  to  have  Nelly  liked;  but  he  did 
not  wish  to  have  her  praised  in  this  open  way.  So  he 
said,  very  quickly :  — 

"  Yes,  Nelly  is  a  good  girl.  I  have  come  to  talk  to 
you,  Mr.  Kleesman,  about  our  mine :  perhaps  you  have 
heard  of  it,  — '  The  Good  Luck.'  : 

' '  Yes :  I  hear  it  is  goot  mine,  very  goot, ' '  replied 
Mr.  Kleesman.  "I  ask  the  child  to  bring  me  ore.  I 
assay  it  for  you.  It  vill  be  pleasure  to  me." 

"  That  is  what  I  was  going  to  ask  you  to  do,"  said 
Mr.  March.  "  I  would  lite  to  know  the  exact  truth 
about  it  before  I  go  any  farther.  Scholneld  is  pressing 
me  to  put  in  machinery;  but  I  do  not  like  to  spend 
money  on  it  till  I  am  sure. ' ' 

"  Dat  iss  right,"  said  Mr.  Kleesman.  "  Vait!  vait! 
It  is  always  safe  to  vait.  Haf  you  brought  with  you 
the  ore?  " 

"  Yes,  I  have  it  here,"  replied  Mr.  March,  and  took 
a  small  bag  of  it  from  his  pocket.  Mr.  Kleesman  ex- 
amined it  very  carefully.  His  face  did  not  look  cheer- 
ful. He  took  piece  after  piece  out  of  the  bag,  and,  after 
examining  them,  tossed  them  on  the  table  with  a  dis- 
satisfied air. 

1 '  Is  it  all  as  dis  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Yes,  about  like  that,"  replied  Mr.  March. 

Nelly  watched  Mr.  Kleesman's  face  breathlessly. 

"  I  know  he  don't  think  it  is  good,"  she  whispered 
to  Rob. 


"THE   GOOD   LUCK'3  285 

* '  I  cannot  tell  till  I  make  assay, ' '  said  Mr.  Kleesman. 
"  But  I  t'ink  it  not  so  very  good.  To-morrow  I  vill 
know.  To-day  I  cannot  do.  I  send  you  vord. ' ' 

"  Oh,  no,  you  need  not  take  that  trouble,"  said  Mr. 
March.  "  The  children  will  be  in  day  after  to-morrow. 
They  can  call." 

"  No,  I  send  you  vord,"  repeated  Mr.  Kleesman. 
"  I  send  you  vord.  Dere  are  plenty  vays.  I  send  you 
vord  to-morrow  night.  Alvays  men  go  past  my  door 
down  to  valley.  I  send  you  vord. ' ' 

"  What  do  you  suppose  is  the  reason  he  did  not  want 
us  to  call  for  it  ?  "  said  Rob,  as  they  walked  down  street. 

"  I  know,"  said  Nelly. 

"  What?  "  said  Rob,  sulkily.  His  pride  was  a  little 
touched  at  Mr.  Kleesman 's  having  so  evidently  preferred 
to  send  the  message  by  some  one  else  rather  than  by 
them. 

"  Because,"  said  Nelly,  "  he  is  so  kind  he  doesn't 
want  to  tell  us  to  our  face  the  mine  isn  't  good. ' ' 

"  Oh,  Nell!  "  exclaimed  Rob,  in  a  tone  of  distress, 
"  do  you  think  it's  that?  " 

"  I  know  it's  that,"  said  Nelly,  calmly.  "  It  couldn't 
be  any  thing  else:  you'll  see.  He  doesn't  believe  that 
ore's  good  for  any  thing.  I  know  by  his  face  he  doesn't. 
I  've  seen  him  look  so  at  ore  before  now. ' ' 

"  Oh,  Nell!  "  cried  Rob,  "  what '11  we  do  if  it  turns 
out  not  to  be  good  for  any  thing  ?  ' ' 

' '  Do !  "  said  Nelly ;  1 1  why,  we  shall  do  just  what  we 
did  before.  But  I  'm  awful  sorry  I  ever  told  papa  about 
the  old  thing.  It's  too  mean!  " 

"  We  haven't  spent  any  money  on  it :  that's  one  good 
thing,"  said  Rob. 

11  Yes,"  said  Nelly;  "  and  it's  lucky  we  happened  in 
at  Mr.  Kleesman 's  just  when  we  did:  there  was  some 
good  luck  in  that,  if  there  isn't  any  in  the  mine." 

"  But  I  don't  see  why  you're  so  sure,  Nell,"  cried 


286  NELLY'S    SILVER    MINE 

Rob :  ' '  Mr.  Kleesman  said  he  couldn  't  tell  till  he  tried 
it." 

11  Well,  I  am  sure,"  said  Nelly:  "  just  as  sure's  any 
thing.  I  know  Mr.  Kleesman  thinks  it  isn't  good  for 
any  thing;  and  if  he  thinks  so  just  by  looking  at  the 
stone,  won't  he  think  so  a  great  deal  more  when  he  has 
burnt  all  the  bad  stuff  away?  " 

"  Well,  anyhow,  I  shan't  give  up  till  he  send  '  vord,' 
as  he  calls  it,"  said  Rob.  "  I  guess  it'll  be  good  for  a 
little  if  it  isn't  for  much.  Everybody  says  Mr.  Schol- 
field  knows  all  about  mines." 

*  *  You  '11  see !  "  was  all  Nelly  replied ;  and  she  trudged 
along  with  a  very  grave  and  set  look  on  her  face.  Mr. 
March  was  to  stay  in  town  later,  to  see  some  farmers 
who  were  coming  in  from  the  country:  so  the  children 
had  a  lonely  walk  home.  They  stopped  only  a  moment 
at  Ulrica 's  and  at  Lucinda  's ;  and  both  Ulrica  and  Lu- 
cinda  saw  that  something  was  wrong.  But  Nelly  had 
cautioned  Rob  to  say  nothing  about  the  ore,  and  she 
herself  said  nothing  about  it ;  and  so  the  two  faithful 
hearts  that  loved  them  could  only  wonder  what  had 
happened  to  cloud  the  usually  bright  little  faces. 

When  it  drew  near  to  sunset,  the  time  at  which  the 
farmers  who  had  been  up  into  Rosita  usually  returned 
into  the  valley,  Rob  and  Nelly  went  down  the  lane  to 
the  gate,  to  watch  for  the  messenger  from  Mr.  Klees- 
man. The  sun  set,  and  the  twilight  deepened  into  dusk, 
and  no  messenger  came.  Several  farm  wagons  passed; 
and,  as  each  one  approached,  the  children 's  hearts  began 
to  beat  quicker,  thinking  that  the  wagon  would  stop, 
and  the  man  would  hand  out  a  letter;  but  wagon  after 
wagon  passed,  —  and  no  letter.  At  last  Nelly  said :  — 

"It  is  so  dark  we  really  must  go  in,  Rob.  I  don't 
believe  it's  coming  to-night." 

1 '  Perhaps  his  furnace  is  broken  again,  and  he  couldn 't 
do  it  to-day,"  said  Rob. 


"THE    GOOD   LUCK"  287 

"  Perhaps  so,"  said  Nelly,  drearily.  "  Oh,  dear!  I 
wish  the  old  mine  was  in  Guinea.  Weren't  we  happier 
without  it,  Rob?  " 

"  Yes,  lots!  "  said  Rob;  "  and  we're  making  a  good 
lot  of  money  off  the  butter  and  eggs  and  trout.  I  don't 
care  about  the  old  mine. ' ' 

"I  do !  "  said  Nelly :  ' '  if  it  was  a  good  mine  — 
if  it  were  a  good  mine,  I  mean,  because  then  we  could 
all  have  every  thing  we  want,  and  papa  wouldn't  have 
to  work.  But  I  know  this  mine  isn't  a  good  one,  and 
I  ain't  ever  going  to  look  for  another  's  long  as  I  live. 
Nor  I  won't  tell  of  one,  if  I  find  it,  either!  " 

"  Pshaw,  Nell!  don't  be  a  goose,"  said  Rob.  "  If 
this  one  isn't  good  for  any  thing,  it  don't  prove  that  the 
next  one  won't 'be.  I'll  find  all  I  can,  and  try  'em  one 
after  the  other." 

"  Well,  you  may:   I  won't!  "  said  Nelly. 

Bedtime  came :  still  no  letter.  All  through  the  even- 
ing, the  children  were  listening  so  closely  for  the  sound 
of  wheels,  that  they  could  not  attend  to  any  thing  else. 
Even  Mr.  March  found  it  rather  hard  to  keep  his 
thoughts  from  wandering  down  the  lane  in  expectation 
of  the  message  from  Rosita.  But  it  did  not  come ;  and 
the  whole  family  finally  went  to  bed  with  their  suspense 
unrelieved. 

The  next  morning,  while  they  were  sitting  at  break- 
fast, and  not  thinking  about  the  message  at  all,  a  man 
knocked  at  the  door  and  handed  in  a  letter.  He  had 
brought  it  from  Rosita  the  night  before,  but  had  for- 
gotten all  about  it,  he  said,  till  he  was  a  mile  past  the 
house;  and  he  thought  as  he  would  be  going  in  again 
early  in  the  morning,  it  would  do  as  well  to  bring  it 
then. 

"  Oh,  certainly,  certainly!  "  said  Mr.  March:  "  it  was 
not  on  any  pressing  business.  Much  obliged  to  you,  sir. 
Sit  down  and  have  some  breakfast  with  us :  won't  you?  " 


288  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

The  man  was  an  old  bachelor,  —  a  Mr.  Bangs,  —  who 
lived  alone  on  a  farm  some  six  miles  north  of  Mr. 
March's.  He  looked  longingly  at  the  nice  breakfast, 
and  said  to  Mrs.  March :  — 

"  Well,  I  had  what  I  called  a  breakfast  before  I  left 
home;  but  your  coffee  does  smell  so  tempting,  I  think 
I  '11  take  a  cup,  —  since  you  're  so  kind. ' ' 

Then  he  drew  up  a  chair  and  sat  down,  and  began  to 
eat  and  drink  as  if  he  had  just  come  starved  from  a 
shipwreck. 

Mr.  March  laid  the  letter  down  by  his  plate,  and 
went  on  talking  with  Mr.  Bangs  as  politely  as  if  he 
had  nothing  else  to  do. 

Rob  and  Nelly  looked  at  the  letter;  then  at  each 
other;  then  at  their  father  and  mother:  Rob  fidgeted 
on  his  chair.  Finally,  Nelly  put  down  her  knife  and 
fork,  and  said  she  did  not  want  any  more  breakfast. 
Mrs.  March  could  hardly  keep  from  laughing  to  see  the 
children's  impatience,  though  she  felt  nearly  as  impa- 
tient herself.  At  last  she  said  to  the  children :  — 

"  You  may  be  excused,  children.  Run  out  into  the 
barn  and  see  if  you  can  find  any  eggs !  ' '  Rob  and  Nelly 
darted  off,  only  too  glad  to  be  free. 

li  Did  you  ever  see  such  a  pig!  "  exclaimed  Rob. 
"  He'd  had  his  breakfast  at  home.  I  don't  see  what 
made  papa  ask  him!  " 

1 1  He  ate  as  if  he  were  half  starved, ' '  said  Nelly.  ' '  I 
guess  old  bachelors  don't  cook  much  that's  good.  Oh! 
I  do  wish  he  'd  hurry. ' ' 

Mr.  Bangs  had  no  idea  of  hurrying.  It  was  a  long 
time  since  he  had  tasted  good  home-made  bread  and 
butter  and  coffee,  and  he  knew  it  would  be  a  still  longer 
time  before  he  tasted  them  again.  He  almost  wished  he 
had  two  stomachs,  like  a  camel,  and  could  fill  them  both. 
At  last,  when  he  really  could  eat  no  more,  and  Mrs. 
March  had  poured  for  him  the  last  drop  out  of  the 


"THE    GOOD   LUCK"  289 

coffee-pot,  he  went  away.  The  children  were  watching 
in  the  barn  to  see  him  go.  As  soon  as  he  had  passed 
the  barn-door,  they  scampered  back  to  the  house. 

Their  father  had  the  open  letter  under  his  hand,  on 
the  table.  He  was  looking  at  their  mother,  and  there 
were  tears  in  her  eyes.  He  turned  to  the  children, 
and  said,  in  a  voice  which  he  tried  hard  to  make  cheer- 
ful :- 

'  Well,  Nelly,  are  you  ready  for  bad  news?  " 

1 '  Oh,  yes !  ' '  interrupted  Nelly,  ' '  indeed  I  am,  all 
ready.  I  knew  it  would  be  bad  news !  I  knew  it  when 
we  were  at  Mr.  Kleesman's." 

"  Pshaw!  "  said  Bob,  and  sat  down  in  a  chair,  and 
twirled  his  hat  over  and  over  between  his  knees :  "I 
don't  care!  I'm  going  fishing."  And  he  jumped  up 
suddenly,  and  ran  out  of  the  room. 

Mrs.  March  laughed  in  spite  of  herself. 

"  That  is  to  hide  how  badly  he  feels,"  she  said. 
"  Let's  all  go  fishing." 

Nelly  did  not  laugh.  She  stood  still  by  the  table, 
leaning  on  it. 

"It's  all  my  fault,"  she  said.  "  If  I  hadn't  found 
the  mine,  we  shouldn't  have  had  all  this  trouble." 

"  Why,  child,  this  isn't  trouble,"  exclaimed  her 
father;  "  don't  feel  so.  Of  course  we're  all  a  little  dis- 
appointed." 

"  A  good  deal!  "  interrupted  Mrs.  March,  smiling. 

' '  Yes,  a  good  deal, ' '  he  continued ;  ' '  but  we  won 't 
be  unhappy  long  about  it.  We're  no  worse  off  than  we 
were  before.  And  there's  one  thing:  we  are  very  lucky 
to  have  got  out  of  it  so  soon,  —  before  we  had  put  any 
money  into  it. ' ' 

' '  What  does  Mr.  Kleesman  say  ?  ' '  asked  Nelly. 

"  He  says  that  there  is  a  little  silver  in  the  ore,  but 
not  enough  to  make  it  pay  to  work  the  mine,"  replied 
her  father;  "  and  he  says  that  he  is  more  sorry  to  say 


290  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

this  than  he  has  ever  been  before  in  his  life  to  say  that 
ore  was  not  good.    I  will  read  you  the  letter. ' ' 

Then  Mr.  March  read  the  whole  letter  aloud  to  Nelly. 
The  last  sentence  was  a  droll  one.  Mr.  Kleesman 
said :  — 

'  I  have  for  your  little  girl  so  great  love  that  I  do 
wish  she  may  never  have  more  sorrow  as  this." 

"  What  does  he  mean,  papa?  "  asked  Nelly. 

"  Why,  he  means  that  he  hopes  this  disappointment 
about  the  mine  will  be  the  most  serious  sorrow  you  will 
ever  know:  that  nothing  worse  will  ever  happen  to, 
you,"  replied  Mr.  March. 

"Oh,"  said  Nelly,  "  is  that  it?  I  couldn't  make  it 
mean  any  thing.  Well,  I  hope  so  too." 

"  So  do  I,"  said  Mrs.  March. 

"  And  I,"  said  Mr.  March.  "  And  if  nothing  worse 
ever  does  happen  to  us  than  to  think  for  a  few  weeks 
we  have  found  a  fortune,  and  then  to  find  that  we 
haven't,  we  shall  be  very  lucky  people." 

So  they  all  tried  to  comfort  each  other,  and  to  con- 
ceal how  much  disappointed  they  really  were;  but  all 
the  time,  each  one  of  them  was  very  unhappy,  and  knew 
perfectly  well  that  all  the  rest  were  too.  Mr.  March 
was  the  unhappiest  of  the  four.  He  had  made  such 
fine  plans  for  the  future :  how  he  would  send  Rob  and 
Nelly  to  school  at  the  East;  build  a  pretty  new  house; 
have  a  nice,  comfortable  carriage ;  have  Billy  and  Lu- 
cinda  come  back  to  live  with  them ;  buy  all  the  books 
he  wanted.  Poor  Mr.  March !  it  was  a  very  hard  thing 
to  have  so  many  air-castles  tumble  down  all  in  one  min- 
ute! 

Mrs.  March  did  not  mind  it  so  much,  because  she 
had  never  from  the  beginning  had  very  firm  faith  in 
the  mine.  And  for  Rob  and  Nelly  it  was  not  nearly  so 
hard,  for  they  had  not  made  any  definite  plans  of  what 
they  would  like  to  do;  and  they  were  so  young  that 


"THE    GOOD   LUCK"  291 

each  day  brought  them  new  pleasures  in  their  simple 
life.  Still  it  was  a  great  disappointment  even  to  them, 
and  I  presume  would  have  made  them  seem  less  cheer- 
ful and  contented  for  a  long  time,  if  something  had  not 
happened  the  very  next  day  to  divert  their  minds  and 
give  them  plenty  to  think  about. 


CHAPTER    XIV 

AN    OLD    ACQUAINTANCE 

EVER  since  they  had  lived  in  the  valley,  it  had  been 
Nelly's  habit,  when  she  got  up  in  the  morning,  to 
go  at  once  to  the  eastern  window  in  her  room  and  look 
out  at  Pike's  Peak.  She  loved  the  mountain  now  just 
as  much  as  she  had  when  she  first  saw  it ;  and  her  first 
thought  in  the  morning  always  was  :  — 

' '  I  wonder  if  Pike  is  clear. ' ' 

The  next  morning  after  Mr.  Kleesman's  letter  came, 
Nelly  slept  late.  She  had  been  out  all  the  day  before 
with  Rob,  who  had  fished  far  down  the  creek,  and  led 
her  a  long,  hard  chase  through  the  grape  thickets  and 
wet  meadows.  They  had  caught  two  basketsful  of  trout, 
which  were  pretty  heavy  to  lug  home ;  and  both  Rob 
and  Nelly  were  so  tired  that  they  went  to  bed  the  min- 
ute they  had  eaten  supper,  and  hardly  spoke  while  they 
were  undressing.  When  Nelly  waked,  she  knew  by  the 
light  in  her  room  that  it  must  be  late.  She  sprang  up 
and  ran  to  the  window.  As  soon  as  she  looked  out,  she 
exclaimed  "  Why!  "  and  rubbed  her  eyes  and  looked 
again.  She  could  not  believe  what  she  saw. 

"  Rob!  Rob!  "  she  called.  But  Rob  was  fast  asleep, 
and  did  not  hear  her.  She  slipped  her  feet  into  her 
slippers,  and  ran  into  his  room  (he  slept  in  a  tiny  room 
opening  out  of  hers:  it  was  not  much  bigger  than  a 
closet,  and  only  held  a  little  narrow  bed  and  one  chair). 

' '  Rob !  Rob !  ' '  she  said,  shaking  him,  ' '  get  up ! 
Come  look  out  of  the  window. " 


AN   OLD   ACQUAINTANCE  293 

' '  You  let  me  be, ' '  said  Rob,  sleepily :  ' '  what  is 
it?  " 

"  Tents!  Rob,  tents!  Four  splendid  great  tents, 
right  close  to  the  wheat-barn.  Do  get  up !  Who  do 
you  suppose  it  is  ?  ' : 

"  Tents!  "  cried  Rob,  as  wide  awake  in  one  second 
as  if  the  house  were  on  fire,  l '  tents !  hurrah !  I  hope 
it's  those  men  with  instruments  that  came  last  summer. 
I'm  going  right  down  to  see."  And  Rob  bounced  out 
of  bed,  and  began  to  toss  his  clothes  on  at  a  furious 
rate.  Nelly  also  made  great  haste;  and,  in  less  time 
than  you  would  have  thought  possible,  the  two  children 
were  dressed  and  out  in  the  lane,  walking  toward  the 
tents.  When  they  got  there,  they  had  had  their  walk 
for  their  pains :  the  tents  were  all  closed  up  tight,  — 
not  a  sign  of  life  about  one  of  them.  Rob  and  Nelly 
walked  round  and  round,  like  two  little  spies,  trying  to 
find  out  some  sign  by  which  they  could  tell  what  sort 
of  people  had  come  into  their  territory;  but  they  could 
not. 

"  I  know  one  thing,"  said  Rob:  "  they've  got  splen- 
did wagons  and  horses."  There  were  six  fine  horses 
grazing  in  the  field;  and  there  was  a  nice  covered  car- 
riage, besides  the  heavy  white-topped  wagon. 

"  What  do  you  suppose  the  other  two  horses  are 
for?  "  said  Nelly.  "  They  don't  have  four  to  draw  the 
wagon:  do  they?  " 

"  I  guess  they're  horses  to  ride,"  said  Rob:  "  one 
of  them  isn't  much  bigger  than  a  pony.  Oh,  dear!  I 
think  they're  real  lazy  people  not  to  get  up."  And 
Rob  and  Nelly  walked  back  to  the  house  quite  discon- 
tented. When  they  told  their  mother  about  the  tents, 
she  said :  — 

' '  Oh,  yes,  I  know  it.  The  party  came  late  last  night, 
after  you  had  gone  to  bed.  They  sent  up  to  the  house 
for  milk;  they  were  very  tired;  they  had  come  all  the 


294  NELLY'S   SILVER  MINE 

way  from  Canyon  City.  There's  a  little  lame  boy  in 
the  party;  and  the  motion  of  the  carriage  hurts  him. 
He  was  quite  sick  last  night,  the  nurse  said." 

"  Oh!  "  said  Nelly:  "  poor  little  fellow!  That's  the 
reason  they  weren't  up,  then.  I'm  real  sorry  for  him. 
Can 't  we  go  down  there,  by  and  by,  and  see  him  ?  ' ' 

'  Yes,  I  think  so, ' '  said  her  mother :  ' '  this  afternoon, 
perhaps." 

Rob  and  Nelly  sat  down  on  the  barn-doorsteps,  and 
watched  the  tents.  It  seemed  a  long  time  before  any- 
body stirred.  At  last,  a  man  came  out  of  the  tent  which 
was  nearest  the  barn.  He  stood  still  for  a  minute,  look- 
ing up  and  down  the  valley.  Then  he  gave  a  great 
stretch  and  yawned  very  loud,  and  walked  off  towards 
the  field  where  the  horses  were. 

' '  That 's  their  man, ' '  said  Rob :  "  he 's  going  to  water 
the  horses.  I  mean  to  go  and  talk  to  him." 

"  Oh,  no,  don't!  "  said  Nelly:  "  let's  see  who  comes 
out  next." 

In  a  few  minutes  more,  there  came  out  of  the  next 
tent  a  stout  woman,  with  a  white  cap  on  her  head.  The 
cap  had  thick  fluted  ruffles  all  round  the  front. 

"  Oh!  what  a  funny  cap !  "  said  Rob.  "  That  must 
be  the  little  boy's  mother." 

"No,"  said  Nelly,  "  I  don't  think  so.  I  think  that's 
the  nurse.  Mamma  said  there  was  a  nurse. ' ' 

' '  Oh,  yes !  ' '  saicj  Rob ;   ' '  she  must  be  the  nurse. ' ' 

The  nurse  stood  looking,  just  as  the  man  had,  up  and 
down  the  valley.  Nobody  could  see  that  beautiful  view 
without  wanting  to  stand  still  and  look  at  it. 

"  She's  looking  at  Pike  now,"  said  Nelly.  "  I  won- 
der if  she  ever  saw  such  a  mountain  before." 

The  woman  stood  a  long  time  without  moving:  then 
she  turned  and  walked  slowly  back  to  the  tent.  As  she 
walked  she  kept  looking  back  over  her  shoulder  at  the 
mountains. 


AN   OLD   ACQUAINTANCE  295 

"Ah!  ah!  "  said  Nelly;  "  see  how  she  looks  at  the 
mountains!  " 

li  I  should  think  she  would,"  said  Rob.  "  But  I  wish 
the  boy'd  conie  out." 

The  nurse  went  into  the  tent;  and  presently  came 
out,  bringing  a  chair  all  folded  up  into  a  flat  shape: 
this  she  set  down  on  the  ground  in  the  shadow  of  the 
tent,  and  unfolded  it,  and  kept  on  unfolding  it,  till  it 
was  about  as  long  as  a  lounge. 

' '  Hullo !  ' ''  said  Rob,  ' '  what  sort  of  a  chair  is 
that?  " 

"  For  the  sick  boy,  I  guess,"  said  Nelly.  "It's  a 
kind  of  bed." 

Then  the  nurse  brought  out  pillows  and  blankets,  and 
put  them  in  it,  and  then  she  brought  out  two  pretty 
bright  rugs,  and  spread  them  down,  one  in  front  of  the 
chair  and  one  at  its  side.  Next  she  brought  out  a  little 
table,  and  set  it  close  to  the  chair.  On  this  she  spread 
a  white  cloth. 

"  I  guess  he's  going  to  have  his  breakfast  on  that," 
said  Nelly. 

Then  the  woman  went  into  the  tent,  and  did  not  come 
back  again.  In  a  few  minutes  another  man  came  out 
of  the  tent  out  of  which  the  first  man  had  come.  This 
man  did  not  look  about  him  at  all.  He  ran  to  the  place 
where  the  stove  stood,  and  began  making  a  fire  in  a 
great  hurry. 

"  Oh,  ho!  "  cried  Rob:  "  two  men!  I  say,  Nell, 
they  must  be  awfully  rich  folks.  They've  got  a  cook, 
and  a  driver,  besides  the  nurse.  I  wish  that  boy'd  come 
out." 

"  I  guess  if  he's  sick  he  won't  get  up  early,"  said 
Nelly.  "  Don't  you  remember  how  you  used  to  have 
to  lie  in  bed  when  we  were  at  home,  Rob?  " 

"  Oh,  my!  I  guess  I  do !  "  said  Rob.  "  Wasn't  it 
horrid !  I  'd  as  lieve  die  as  be  like  that  again.  I  haven 't 


296  NELLY'S   SILVER   NINE 

been  sick  once  since  we  came  to  Colorado :  have  I, 
Nell?  " 

"  No,"  said  Nelly.  "  Don't  you  remember  you  used 
to  say  I  ought  to  be  sick  half  the  time:  it  wasn't  fair 
for  me  not  to  be  sick  any  and  for  you  to  be  sick  all  the 
time?  " 

"  Did  I?  "  said  Rob:  "  that  was  real  mean  of  me. 
I  wouldn  't  say  so  now. ' ' 

While  they  were  talking,  they  suddenly  saw  the  nurse 
come  out  again,  and  call  the  cook.  He  went  in  to  the 
tent  with  her,  and,  in  a  moment  more,  they  came  out 
again,  bringing  in  their  arms  a  little  boy  about  Rob's 
size. 

*  *  Oh,  goodness !  ' :  cried  Rob :  ' '  can 't  he  walk  ? 
Pshaw!  I  hoped  he'd  go  fishing  with  me!  He  won't 
be  any  fun." 

* '  Why,  Rob  March  !  ' '  exclaimed  Nelly :  * '  you  're  a 
selfish  thing.  How'd  you  like  to  be  lame  like  that  and 
not  have  anybody  sorry  for  you?  " 

* '  Why,  Nell,  I  am  real  sorry  for  him :  I  mean  I  ex- 
pect I  should  be  if  I  knew  him;  but  I  did  hope  he'd 
go  round  some  with  me.  I  haven't  had  a  boy  since  we 
came  to  Colorado." 

Nelly  looked  hurt. 

"  I'm  sure  I  go  everywhere  that  you  do,"  she  said. 
"  You  don't  ever  have  to  be  alone." 

"  I  know  it,  Nell,"  replied  Rob,  meekly:  "  you're  as 
good  as  any  girl  can  be,  —  lots  better  than  most  girls ; 
but  a  boy's  different.  You'd  like  a  girl  sometimes  your- 
self :  you  know  you  would. ' ' 

"  I  wouldn't  either,"  retorted  Nelly:  "I'd  rather 
have  you  than  any  girl  in  the  whole  world. ' ' 

The  little  sick  boy  had  sharper  eyes  than  the  nurse 
had.  She  had  not  seen  the  two  children  sitting  on  the 
barn-doorsteps:  but  the  boy  spied  them  in  a  minute, 
and  said  to  his  nurse :  — 


AN   OLD   ACQUAINTANCE  297 

' '  There  are  a  boy  and  a  girl  sitting  in  that  barn-door. 
Give  me  my  opera-glass:  I  want  to  see  what  they're 
like." 

Then  Nelly  and  Rob  saw  the  boy  lift  up  a  round  thing 
to  his  eyes,  and  point  it  at  them. 

"  He's  looking  at  us,  Rob,"  said  Nelly,  "  through 
that  thing :  I  saw  a  gentleman  have  one  in  the  cars. 
I  shall  go  away :  I  don 't  want  him  to  look  at  us. ' ' 

"  Stop!  "  said  Rob:  "he's  put  it  down.  He's  talk- 
ing to  his  nurse. ' ' 

This  is  what  the  boy  was  saying :  — 

"  Flora,  please  go  across  there  and  ask  that  boy  to 
come  here:  I  want  to  see  him.  Tell  him  I'm  sick.  I 
want  to  ask  him  if  there  are  any  birds  here,  —  if  he 
can't  get  me  a  lark." 

' '  Now,  Master  Arthur, ' '  the  nurse  replied,  ' '  you  just 
wait  till  your  mamma  gets  up,  and  ask  her.  Perhaps 
she  wouldn  't  want  you  to  have  that  boy  play  with  you. ' ' 

1  You  go  along  this  minute,"  said  Arthur,  beginning 
to  cry:  "  if  you  don't  I'll  cry.  You  know  the  doctor 
said  I  was  not  to  be  crossed  in  any  thing.  You  go 
along  quick !  Stay !  you  tell  them  both  to  come  here. ' ' 

The  nurse  walked  away,  muttering  under  her  breath : 

*  *  And  a  fine  life  ye  '11  lead  them,  if  ye  get  them  under 
your  thumb,  to  be  sure !  It 's  a  thousand  pities  you  ever 
heard  that  speech  of  the  doctor's,  you  poor  thing." 

li  She's  coming  over  here,  Rob,"  said  Nelly,  as  she 
saw  the  woman  walking  in  their  direction :  ' '  what  do 
you  suppose  she  wants?  " 

11  Milk  or  eggs,  I  guess,"  said  Rob.  "  I  can  get  her 
some  splendid  fresh  eggs  right  behind  this  door.  Old 
Spotty 's  got  her  nest  in  there  now.  The  weasels  got 
into  her  old  nest  and  she  won 't  lay  there  any  more. ' ' 

When  the  nurse  reached  the  door,  she  said  very  po- 
litely to  the  children :  — 

1 '  Good  morning,  children.    Do  you  live  here  ?  ' ' 


298  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

il  No,  ma'am,"  said  Rob,  gravely. 

Nelly  looked  at  him  indignantly. 

11  Why,  Rob!  "  she  began.    But  Rob  went  on:  — 

"  Our  oxen  and  cows  and  hens  live  here:  we  live  in 
the  house  over  yonder. ' ' 

Nelly  laughed  out,  and  so  did  the  nurse. 

"  You  have  a  droll  tongue  in  your  head,  my  boy," 
she  said.  "  I  came  to  ask  you  if  you  wouldn't  come 
over  to  the  tent  there  and  see  Master  Arthur.  He's  in 
the  chair  there :  see  him  ?  He 's  lame :  he  can 't  walk. ' ' 

' '  What 's  the  matter  with  him  ?  ' '  asked  Nelly.  * '  Was 
he  always  lame?  " 

' '  Oh,  no !  "  said  the  nurse :  "he  got  a  fall  when  he 
was  about  six  years  old,  and  he 's  been  lame  ever  since : 
he's  twelve  now.  But  I  must  go  right  back:  he  don't 
like  to  be  alone  a  minute.  Will  you  come  across?  " 

Rob  looked  at  Nelly. 

' '  Mamma  said  we  might  go  this  afternoon, ' '  he  said : 
"  do  you  think  she'd  care  if  we  went  now?  ': 

"  We'd  better  go  and  ask  her,"  answered  Nelly. 
"  You  tell  the  little  boy  we've  gone  to  ask  our  mother 
if  we  may  come,"  she  said  to  the  nurse,  and  ran  off 
with  Rob  to  the  house  as  fast  as  feet  could  go. 

The  nurse  looked  after  them,  and  sighed. 

"  Well,  those  are  well-brought-up  children,  whosever 
they  are,  to  be  found  out  in  this*  wilderness.  Oh,  but 
I'd  like  to  see  Master  Arthur  run  like  that." 

Flora  had  been  little  Arthur 's  nurse  ever  since  he  was 
a  baby ;  and,  though  she  was  often  out  of  patience  with 
him,  she  loved  him  dearly.  When  she  went  back  and 
told  him  what  the  children  said,  he  muttered  fret- 
fully:— 

"  Oh,  dear!  they  needn't  have  gone  to  ask.  Can't 
they  go  two  steps  without  getting  leave  ?  I  should  think 
they  were  babies.  They  looked  as  old  as  I  am." 

11  They're  older,  Master  Arthur,"  replied  Flora.    "  I 


AN   OLD   ACQUAINTANCE  299 

think  they  are  as  much  as  thirteen:  the  girl  is,  at  any 
rate." 

' '  Is  the  boy  nice  ?  ' '  asked  Arthur. 

Flora  laughed. 

"  He's  funny,"  she  replied.  And  then  she  told  Ar- 
thur what  Rob  had  said  when  she  asked  him  if  he  and 
his  sister  lived  there. 

Arthur  smiled  faintly :  he  hardly  ever  laughed.  His 
back  ached  all  the  time,  so  that  he  could  very  seldom 
forget  it ;  and  this  constant  pain  made  him  very  nervous 
and  irritable. 

"  You  go  up  to  the  house  and  ask  their  mother  to  let 
them  come,"  he  said. 

"  Well,  dear,"  Flora  replied,  "  I  will,  if  they  don't 
come  in  a  few  minutes.  But  I'm  sure  they'll  come, 
for  they  said  their  mother  had  told  them  they  might 
come  this  afternoon;  and  I'm  sure  she'll  let  them  come 
now  instead. ' ' 

"  They  can  come  in  the  afternoon  too,"  said  Arthur. 
"  I  want  them  all  the  time." 

' '  Well,  well :  I  dare  say  they  '11  like  to  stay  with  you, 
and  read  your  books,  and  see  your  things,  very  much," 
said  Flora, 

"  I  '11  show  them  my  microscope, ' '  said  Arthur : 
"  that's  the  only  thing  I've  got  that's  good  for  any 
thing.  The  books  are  no  good. ' ' 

Just  now  the  cook  came  up,  bringing  Arthur's  break- 
fast on  a  tray.  It  looked  very  nice:  milk-toast,  and 
baked  apples,  and  poached  eggs,  and  a  cup  of  nice  co- 
coa. It  was  wonderful  what  good  things  Ralph  used 
to  cook,  in  that  little  bit  of  a  camp  stove,  out  of  doors. 
Ralph  had  lived  in  the  family  as  long  as  Flora,  and 
loved  poor  Arthur  just  as  well  as  she  did.  It  was  into 
the  area  in  front  of  the  basement  that  Arthur  had  fallen 
when  he  got  his  terrible  hurt;  and  Ralph  had  picked 
him  up  and  carried  him  upstairs  in  his  arms,  thinking 


300  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

all  the  way  that  he  was  dead.  Ralph  often  said  that 
he  'd  never  forget  that  time,  —  not  if  he  should  live  to 
be  a  thousand  years  old!  He  often  told  the  story  to 
people  they  met  on  their  journeys.  Everybody  took  an 
interest  in  poor  Arthur,  and  wanted  to  know  how  he 
came  to  be  so  lame;  but  nobody  liked  to  ask  his  father 
or  mother:  so  they  would  ask  Flora  or  Ralph.  Ralph 
was  an  Englishman,  and  he  had  a  very  queer  pronuncia- 
tion of  all  words  beginning  with  h.  He  dropped  the 
h  's  off  such  words,  and  he  put  them  on  to  other  words ; 
which  made  his  sentences  sound  very  queer  indeed. 

"  It  was  just  about  height  o'clock,"  he  would  say, 
"  an'  I'd  just  in  my  'and  the  'ot  water  for  the  master's 
shaving;  an'  Thomas  'ee  was  a  takin'  hof  it  out  o'  my 
'and,  when  we  'ears  such  a  screech,  such  a  screech,  and 
the  missus  she  come  a  flyin '  hover  the  stairs,  —  I  'm 
blessed  hif  'er  feet  so  much  as  lighted  hon  'em,  —  an* 
she  screechin',  screechin',  an'  'ollerin';  an'  the  same 
minute  I  'ears  a  noise  to  the  front  o '  the  'ouse,  an '  a  per- 
liceman  a  knockin'  at  the  airy  door,  an'  the  missus  she 
got  to't  fust;  an'  if  it  wan't  a  meracle  wat  was  it,  for 
'er  to  'ave  come  down  two  flights  o'  'igh  stairs  in  less 
time  than  I  could  'urry  across  the  'all?  An'  I  takes 
Master  Harthur  out  o'  the  perliceman's  'ands;  an'  'is 
little  'ead  a  'anging  down  's  if  't  'a'  been  snapped  off. 
Oh !  if  it  seemed  one  minute  afore  I  got  'im  hup  to  the 
nursery  it  seemed  a  'underd  years;  an'  the  missus  she 
was  never  'erself  again,  —  not  till  she  died.  She  allers 
said  as  'ow  she'd  killed  'im  'erself.  You  see  'ee  was  all 
alone  with  'er  in  'er  bedroom,  an'  she  never  noticed  that 
'ee  'ad  gone  to  the  window.  She  was  never  'erself  again, 
—  never :  she  'd  sit  an '  look  at  'im,  an '  look  at  'im,  an ' 
the  tears 'd  run  down  'er  face  f  aster 'n  rain.  But  she 
couldn't  'old  a  candle  to  this  missus,  in  no  respects: 
not  to  my  way  o'  thinkin'.  It's  a  'ard  thing  to  say  of 
'er,  bein'  she's  dead;  but  it's  my  'onest  opinion  that 


AN   OLD   ACQUAINTANCE  301 

she's  better  in  'eaven  than  hearth,  an'  all  parties  better 
suited." 

This  was  Ralph's  story  of  the  accident,  and  he  told 
it  wherever  they  went.  Every  one  was  much  surprised 
to  hear  that  Mrs.  Cook  was  not  Arthur's  own  mother; 
for  no  own  mother  could  have  shown  more  patience  and 
love  than  she  did.  She  had  never  left  Arthur  for  a 
whole  day  or  a  whole  night  since  she  became  his  mother ; 
and  it  seemed  as  if  she  really  thought  of  little  else  ex- 
cept how  to  invent  some  new  thing  to  amuse  him,  and 
keep  him  from  remembering  his  pain. 

Just  as  Arthur  had  begun  to  eat  his  breakfast,  he 
looked  up  and  saw  Bob  and  Nelly  coming  out  of  the 
door  of  the  house.  He  pushed  away  his  plate,  and 
cried :  — 

"  Take  it  away!  take  it  away!  I  won't  eat  another 
mouthful.  That  boy  and  girl  are  coming.  Take  it 
away!  " 

' '  Oh,  Master  Arthur, ' '  said  Flora :  ' '  indeed  you  must 
eat  some  more.  You'll  never  get  well  if  you  don't  eat." 

* '  I  won 't !  I  won 't !  I  tell  you  take  it  away, ' '  screamed 
Arthur.  "  I  am  not  hungry.  I  hate  it!  " 

Poor  Arthur  never  was  really  hungry. 

' '  Your  mamma  will  be  very  unhappy  when  she  comes 
out  if  you  have  not  eaten  any  thing, ' '  said  Flora. 

Arthur's  face  fell. 

' '  Well,  give  me  the  cocoa,  then,  quick !  "  he  said : 
"  I'll  drink  that,  just  to  please  mamma:  that's  all. 
She  don't  make  me  eat  when  I  don't  want  to." 

At  that  moment  Mrs.  Cook  came  out  of  her  tent,  and 
hurried  to  Arthur's  chair. 

' '  My  darling, ' '  she  said, ' '  mamma  was  a  lazy  mamma, 
wasn't  she,  this  morning?  Have  you  had  a  nice  break- 
fast? Papa  will  be  out  in  a  minute. " 

"  Mamma!  mamma!  "  cried  Arthur,  "  see  that  boy 
and  girl,  the  other  side  of  the  fence:  they're  coming 


t 

302  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

over  to  see  me.  I  sent  Flora  after  them.  I  wish  they'd 
hurry.  Don't  they  walk  slow?  ': 

Mrs.  Cook  looked  inquiringly  at  Flora,  who  explained 
that  Master  Arthur  had  spied  the  children  sitting  in  the 
barn-door,  and  that  nothing  would  do  but  she  must  go 
over  and  ask  them  to  come  and  see  him. 

"  They  seem  to  be  most  uncommon  nice-spoken  chil- 
dren for  these  parts,  ma'am,"  said  Flora;  "  and  the 
little  girl  she  wouldn't  come,  nor  let  her  brother  come, 
till  she'd  gone  into  the  house  and  asked  leave  of  their 
mother. ' ' 

Mrs.  Cook  was  gazing  very  earnestly  at  the  children, 
as  they  walked  slowly  towards  the  tent.  In  a  moment 
more  she  sprang  to  her  feet,  and  took  two  or  three  steps 
forward,  and  exclaimed,  "  Why,  it  is!  it  is  my  little 
Nelly!  "  and,  to  Arthur's  great  astonishment,  he  saw 
his  mother  run  very  fast  to  meet  the  children,  and  throw 
her  arms  round  the  little  girl's  neck,  and  kiss  her  over 
and  over  again. 

Nelly  was  so  astonished  and  bewildered  she  did  not 
know  what  to  do.  She  could  not  see  the  face  of  the 
lady  who  was  kissing  her,  for  she  held  her  so  tight  she 
could  not  look  up ;  and,  when  she  did  look  up,  she  did 
not  at  first  know  who  the  lady  was. 

1 '  Why,  Nelly,  Nelly !  ' '  she  cried ;  ' l  have  you  forgot- 
ten me?  Don't  you  remember  I  came  on  in  the  same 
car  with  you?  Why!  I've  been  looking  for  you  and 
asking  for  you  all  over  Colorado." 

Then  Nelly  remembered;  but  still  she  looked  bewil- 
dered. 

"  Oh,  yes!  Mrs.  Williams.  I  remember  you  very, 
very  well, ' '  she  said ;  i '  but  you  don 't  look  a  bit  as  you 
used  to." 

"  Come  here!  come  here!  "  shouted  Arthur;  "  come 
right  here,  all  of  you!  Mamma,  who  is  this  girl,  and 
what  makes  you  kiss  her  ?  ' ' 


AN   OLD   ACQUAINTANCE  303 

Arthur  had  been  so  long  used  to  being  the  only  child, 
and  having  all  his  mother 's  affection  showered  upon  him, 
that  he  really  felt  uncomfortable  to  see  her  kiss  another 
child. 

"  Why,  Arthur!  Arthur!  "  exclaimed  his  mother, 
leading  Nelly  and  Rob  towards  him;  "  don't  speak  so. 
These  are  old  friends  of  mamma's,  that  she  knew  before 
she  ever  saw  you.  Don't  you  recollect  my  telling  you 
about  the  little  boy  in  the  cars,  that  threw  away  the 
onions,  and  the  little  girl  that  had  the  nice  wax  doll  all 
broken  in  the  crowd?  These  are  those  very  same  chil- 
dren ;  and  isn  't  it  wonderful  that  we  should  have  found 
them  here?  I  am  very  glad  to  see  them:  Nelly,  Rob, 
this  is  my  little  boy,  Arthur,  and  he  will  be  more  glad 
to  know  you  than  you  can  possibly  imagine ;  for  he  can 't 
run  about  as  you  do.  He  has  to  lie  in  this  chair  all 
day." 

While  she  was  speaking,  Arthur  had  been  looking 
very  steadily  at  Rob.  He  did  not  take  much  notice  of 
Nelly.  As  soon  as  his  mother  stopped  speaking,  Arthur 
said  to  Rob :  — 

"  How  do  you  do?  Mamma  told  me  all  about  your 
throwing  away  the  man's  onions  ever  so  long  ago,  and 
I  used  to  make  her  tell  me  over  and  over  and  over  again, 
till  she  said  it  was  almost  as  bad  as  having  onions  in  the 
house.  Didn't  you  have  fun  when  you  did  it?  "  and 
Arthur  laughed  harder  than  he  had  been  seen  to  laugh 
for  a  long  time. 

"  Why,  no!  "  said  Rob;  "  I  don't  think  it  was  much 
fun.  I  don't  remember  much  about  it  now;  but  I  know 
I  felt  awfully  mean :  you  see  I  felt  like  a  thief  when  the 
man  began  to  look  for  his  onions. ' ' 

Nelly  was  standing  still,  close  to  her  new-found  friend. 
She  was  thoroughly  bewildered;  she  looked  from  Mrs. 
Williams  to  Arthur,  and  from  Arthur  to  Mrs.  Williams, 
and  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  it  all:  and  no  won- 


304  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

der.  When  Mrs.  Williams  bade  Nelly  good-by  in  Den- 
ver three  years  before,  she  was  a  thin,  pale  lady,  dressed 
in  the  deepest  black,  and  with  a  face  so  sad  it  made  you 
feel  like  crying  to  look  at  her.  She  wore  a  widow's  cap 
close  around  her  face,  and  a  long,  black  veil;  and  she 
was  all  alone  with  her  nurse ;  and  she  had  no  little  boy. 
Now  she  was  a  stout,  rosy-fa^ed  lady;  and  she  wore  a 
bright,  dark-blue  cloth  gown,  looped  up  over  a  scarlet 
petticoat;  and  on  her  head  she  wore  a  broad-brimmed 
straw  hat  with  scarlet  poppies  and  blue  bachelor's  but- 
tons round  the  crown.  At  last  Nelly  could  not  contain 
her  perplexity  any  longer. 

"  Oh!  Mrs.  Williams,"  she  exclaimed;  "  what  does 
make  you  so  pretty  now?  " 

"  That  isn't  my  mamma's  name,"  cried  Arthur;  "  her 
name  is  Mrs.  Cook.  Wasn't  she  pretty  when  you  saw 
her  in  the  cars  ?  She 's  always  pretty  now. ' ' 

Mrs.  Williams  laughed  very  hard,  and  told  Nelly  she 
did  not  wonder  that  she  was  surprised  to  see  her  look  so 
differently. 

"  I  often  think,  when  I  look  in  the  glass  now,"  she 
said,  "  that  I  shouldn't  know  my  own  self,  if  I  hadn't 
seen  myself  since  three  years  ago." 

Then  she  led  Nelly  to  one  side,  and  explained  to  her 
that  she  had  met  Arthur  and  his  papa  up  at  Idaho 
Springs,  where  she  had  gone  immediately  after  leaving 
Nelly  in  Denver.  Mr.  Cook  had  taken  Arthur  there,  to 
see  if  the  water  in  the  Idaho  Springs  would  not  cure  his 
lameness.  They  had  all  lived  in  the  same  hotel  at 
Idaho  all  winter,  and  in  the  spring  Mrs.  Williams  had 
been  married  to  Mr.  Cook,  and  had  thus  become  Arthur's 
mother.  Mr.  Cook's  home  was  in  New  York;  but  they 
had  come  to  Colorado  every  summer  for  Arthur's  sake. 
He  always  was  much  better  in  Colorado.  While  they 
were  talking,  Mr.  Cook  came  out  of  his  tent;  and  sur- 
prised enough  he  looked  to  see  his  wife  sitting  on  the 


AN   OLD    ACQUAINTANCE  305 

ground  with  a  little  stranger  girl  in  her  lap,  and  Arthur 
in  eager  conversation  with  a  boy  he  had  never  seen  be- 
fore. He  stood  still  on  the  threshold  of  the  tent  for  a 
moment,  looking  in  astonishment  at  the  scene. 

11  Oh,  Edward!  Edward!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Cook, 
11  this  is  my  little  friend!  Think  of  our  having  found 
her  at  last,  way  down  in  this  valley !  ' : 

' '  Is  it  possible !  ' '  said  Mr.  Cook.  ' '  Why,  I  am  as 
glad  to  see  you,  my  little  girl,  as  if  I  were  your  own 
uncle.  I  didn't  know  but  I  should  have  to  go  journey- 
ing all  about  the  world,  like  my  famous  ancestor,  Cap- 
tain Cook,  to  find  you ;  for  my  wife  has  never  given  up 
talking  about  you  since  I  have  known  her. ' ' 

Mr.  Cook  was  so  tall  and  so  big  Nelly  felt  half  afraid 
of  him.  He  was  as  tall  as  Long  Billy,  and  twice  as  big : 
he  had  a  long,  thick  beard,  of  a  beautiful  brown  color, 
and  his  eyes  were  as  blue  as  the  sky.  Nelly  thought 
he  looked  like  one  of  the  pictures,  in  a  picture-book  Rob 
had,  of  "  Three  Giant  Kings  from  the  North  who  came 
Over  the  Sea."  But  when  he  smiled  you  did  not  feel 
afraid  of  him;  and  his  voice  was  so  good  and  true  and 
kind  that  everybody  trusted  him  and  liked  him  as  soon 
as  he  spoke. 

"  Was  Captain  Cook  really  an  ancestor  of  yours?  " 
asked  Nelly,  eagerly. 

"  Oh !  "  cried  Rob,  bounding  away  from  Arthur,  and 
looking  up  with  reverence  into  this  tall  man 's  face,  ' '  are 
you  a  relation  of  Captain  Cook?  Have  you  got  any  of 
his  things?  Did  you  know  him?  Did  he  ever  tell  you 
about  his  voyages?  We've  got  the  book  about  them:  I 
know  everywhere  he  went. ' ' 

Mr.  Cook  lifted  Rob  up  in  his  arms,  and  tossed  him 
over  his  shoulders,  and  whirled  round  with  him,  and  set 
him  down  on  the  ground  again,  before  he  answered. 
This  was  a  thing  Mr.  Cook  loved  to  do  to  boys  of  Rob's 
size.  Boys  of  that  age  are  not  used  to  being  picked 


306  NELLY'S    SILVER    MINE 

up  and  tossed  like  babies;  but  Mr.  Cook  was  so  strong 
he  could  toss  a  big  boy  as  easily  as  you  or  I  could  a  little 
baby. 

"  No,  sir,  I  am  not  a  relative  of  Captain  Cook's,  so 
far  as  I  know,  nor  of  any  other  Cook,  except  of  all  good 
cooks:  I  am  a  first  cousin  and  great  friend  and  lover 
of  all  good  cooks,"  shouted  this  jolly,  tall  man,  whose 
very  presence  seemed  like  sunshine.  "  Ralph,  you  cook 
of  cooks  and  for  all  the  Cooks,  is  our  breakfast  ready?  " 

Ralph  chuckled  with  inward  laughter  as  he  tried  to 
answer  with  a  quiet  propriety.  Long  as  he  had  lived 
with  Mr.  Cook,  he  had  never  grown  accustomed  to  his 
droll  ways. 

Rob  and  Nelly  looked  on  with  amazement.  This  was 
a  sort  of  man  they  had  never  seen. 

"  Oh,  I  wish  papa  was  like  this,"  thought  Rob:  in 
the  next  second  he  was  ashamed  and  sorry  for  the 
thought.  But  from  that  moment  he  had  a  loving  ad- 
miration for  Mr.  Cook,  which  was  about  as  strong  as 
his  love  for  his  own  father. 

As  soon  as  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cook  had  eaten  their  break- 
fast, they  walked  up  to  the  house  with  Nelly.  Rob 
stayed  behind  with  Arthur,  entirely  absorbed  in  the 
microscope.  Nelly's  feet  seemed  hardly  to  touch  the 
ground:  she  was  so  excited  in  the  thought  of  taking 
Mrs.  Cook  to  see  her  mother.  She  utterly  forgot  all 
the  changes  which  the  three  years  had  brought  to  them : 
she  forgot  how  poor  they  were,  and  that  her  mother  was 
at  that  moment  hard  at  work  churning  butter.  She  for- 
got every  thing  except  that  she  had  found  her  old  friend, 
and  was  about  to  give  her  mother  a  great  surprise.  She 
opened  the  door  into  the  sitting-room,  and,  crying, 
' '  Mamma !  mamma !  who  do  you  think  is  here  ?  ' '  she 
ran  on  into  the  kitchen,  turning  back  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cook  and  crying,  "  Come  out  here!  Here  she  is!  " 

Mrs.  March  looked  up  from  her  churning,  much  as- 


AN   OLD   ACQUAINTANCE  307 

tonished  at  the  interruption,  and  still  more  astonished 
to  see  two  strangers  standing  in  her  kitchen  doorway, 
and  evidently  on  such  intimate  terms  with  Nelly.  Mrs. 
March  had  on  a  stout  tow-cloth  apron  which  reached 
from  her  neck  to  her  ankles ;  this  was  splashed  all  over 
with  cream.  On  her  head  she  had  a  white  handker- 
chief, bound  tight  like  a  turban.  Altogether  she  looked 
as  unlike  the  Mrs.  March  whom  Mrs.  Cook  had  seen  in 
the  cars  as  Mrs.  Cook  looked  unlike  the  Mrs.  Williams. 
But  Mrs.  Cook's  smile  was  one  nobody  ever  forgot.  As 
soon  as  she  smiled,  Mrs.  March  exclaimed :  — 

'  <  Why,  Mrs.  Williams !  how  glad  I  am  to  see  you 
again.  Pray  excuse  me  a  minute,  till  I  can  take  myself 
out  of  this  buttery  apron:  walk  back  into  the  sitting- 
room.  ' ' 

' '  No,  no !  "  laughed  Mr.  Cook,  ' '  I  know  a  great  deal 
better  than  that!  I  was  brought  up  on  a  farm.  You 
can't  leave  that  butter!  Here!  give  me  the  apron, 
and  let  me  churn  it:  it's  twenty-five  years  since  I've 
churned;  but  I  believe  I  can  do  it."  And,  without 
giving  Mrs.  March  time  to  object,  he  fairly  took  the 
apron  away  from  her,  and  tied  it  around  his  own  neck, 
and  began  to  churn  furiously. 

"  Now  you  two  go  in  and  sit  down,"  he  said,  "  and 
leave  this  little  girl  and  me  to  attend  to  this  butter. 
You  '11  see  how  soon  I  '11  *  bring  '  it !  ' '  And  indeed  he 
did.  His  powerful  arms  worked  as  if  they  were  driven 
by  steam;  and  in  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the 
butter  was  firm  and  hard,  and  Nelly  and  Mr.  Cook  had 
become  good  friends.  He  liked  the  quiet,  grave  little 
girl  very  much;  but,  after  all,  his  heart  warmed  most 
to  Rob,  and  the  greater  part  of  his  talk  with  Nelly  was 
about  her  brother. 

In  the  meantime,  Mrs.  Cook  and  Mrs.  March  were 
having  a  full  talk  about  all  that  had  happened.  There 
was  something  about  Mrs.  Cook  which  made  people  tell 


308  NELLY'S    SILVER   MINE 

her  all  their  affairs.  She  never  asked  questions  or  pried 
in  any  way,  but  she  was  brimful  of  sympathy  and  kindly 
intent ;  and  to  such  persons  everybody  goes  for  comfort 
and  advice.  Mrs.  March  had  always  remembered  her 
with  affectionate  gratitude  for  her  goodness  to  Nelly, 
and  she  was  glad  of  the  opportunity,  even  three  years 
late,  to  thank  her  for  that  beautiful  wax  doll. 

"  It  is  as  good  as  new  now,"  she  said.  "  Nelly  keeps 
it  rolled  in  tissue  paper,  in  the  box.  She  does  not  play 
with  dolls  any  more,  but  it  is  still  her  chief  treasure. ' ' 

' '  Not  play  with  dolls !  ' '  exclaimed  Mrs.  Cook :  * '  why, 
she  is  not  fifteen." 

"  I  know  it,"  replied  Mrs.  March,  "  but  our  hard- 
working life  here  has  made  both  the  children  old  for 
their  years:  especially  Nelly.  She  was  naturally  a 
thoughtful,  care-taking  child.  Rob  is  of  a  more  mirth- 
ful, adventurous  temperament.  He  has  taken  the  jolly 
side  of  the  life  here;  but  Nelly  has  grown  almost  too 
sober  and  wise.  She  is  a  blessed  child." 

11  Yes,  indeed,  she  is,"  replied  Mrs.  Cook;  "  and  she 
was  so  when  I  first  knew  her.  I  never  could  forget  her 
earnest  face.  I  want  you  to  let  her  and  Rob  too  be  with 
us  just  as  much  as  possible  while  we  are  here.  We  shall 
stay  a  month:  perhaps  six  weeks,  if  it  does  not  grow 
too  cold.  We  find  it  is  much  better  for  Arthur  to  stay 
quietly  in  one  place  than  it  is  to  move  about.  He  gains 
much  more.  Travelling  tires  him  dreadfully." 

"  I  shall  be  more  than  glad  to  have  the  children  with 
you  as  much  as  possible, ' '  replied  Mrs.  March ;  ': '  but 
that  will  not  be  so  much  as  I  could  wish :  for  we  are  all 
working  very  hard  now;  and  two  days  each  week  the 
children  go  to  Rosita,  to  sell  eggs  and  butter.  That  is 
the  greater  part  of  our  income  this  summer." 

Mrs.  March  said  this  in  a  cheerful  tone,  and  as  if  it 
were  nothing  worth  dwelling  upon,  and  Mrs.  Cook  did 
not  express  any  surprise ;  but  in  her  heart  she  was  much 


AN   OLD   ACQUAINTANCE  309 

grieved  and  shocked  to  find  that  the  Marches  were  so 
poor,  and  as  soon  as  she  was  alone  with  her  husband 
she  told  him  of  it  with  tears  in  her  eyes. 

"  Only  think,  Edward,"  she  said,  "  of  those  sweet 
children  going  about  selling  eggs  and  butter  in  the 
town. ' ' 

Mr.  Cook  was  a  very  rich  man;  but  his  father  and 
his  grandfather  had  been  farmers;  and  in  Mr.  Cook's 
early  years  he  had  driven  the  market-wagon  into  town 
many  a  time  and  sold  potatoes  and  corn  in  the  market. 
It  did  not,  therefore,  seem  so  dreadful  to  him  as  it  did 
to  his  wife  that  Rob  and  Nelly  should  carry  about  eggs 
and  butter  to  sell  in  Eosita.  Still,  he  was  sorry  to  hear 
it,  and  exclaimed :  — 

"  Do  they  really?  The  plucky  little  toads!  That's 
too  bad  —  for  the  girl :  it  won't  hurt  the  boy  any !  " 

"  Oh,  Edward!  "  said  Mrs.  Cook,  "  you  wouldn't  like 
to  have  Arthur  do  it. ' ' 

"  No,  I  wouldn't  like  to  have  him  do  it,"  replied  Mr. 
Cook:  "  most  certainly  I  wouldn't  like  to  have  him; 
but  that  wouldn't  prove  that  it  mightn't  be  better  for 
him  in  the  end  if  he  had  to.  But  fate  has  taken  all 
such  questions  as  that  out  of  our  hands,  so  far  as  poor 
Arthur  is  concerned."  And  Mr.  Cook  sighed  heavily. 
Arthur's  condition  was  a  terrible  grief  to  his  father. 
All  the  more  because  he  was  so  well  and  strong  himself, 
Mr.  Cook  had  a  dread  of  physical  pain  or  weakness. 
Many  times  a  day  he  looked  at  his  helpless  son,  and  said 
in  his  inmost  heart :  — 

"  Rather  than  be  like  that,  I  would  die  any  death 
that  could  be  invented. ' ' 

It  was  a  mercy  that  Arthur  did  not  inherit  his  father 's 
temperament.  He  was  much  more  like  his  mother:  so 
long  as  he  could  be  amused,  and  did  not  suffer  severe 
pain,  he  did  not  so  much  mind  having  to  lie  still.  When 
Rob  said  to  him,  one  day :  — 


310  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

"  Oh,  Arthur,  doesn't  it  tire  you  horribly  to  stay  in 
that  chair  ?  ' '  Arthur  answered :  — 

' '  Why,  no :  it 's  the  easiest  chair  you  ever  sat  in. 
You  just  try  it  some  day.  I  had  one  before  this  that 
did  tire  me,  though:  it  was  a  horrid  chair.  It  wasn't 
made  right;  but  this  is  a  jolly  chair.  It's  better  than 
the  bed." 

Rob,  who  had  felt  guilty  the  moment  he  had  asked 
the  question,  thinking  it  was  not  kind,  was  much  re- 
lieved at  this  answer,  and  thought  to  himself :  — 

"  Well,  that's  lucky.  He  didn't  mind  my  asking  him 
one  bit.  I  guess  it's  because  he's  been  sick  so  long  he 
doesn't  remember  how  it  felt  to  run  about." 


CHAPTER   XV 

CHANGES    IN    PROSPECT 

I  COULD  not  tell  you  one  half  of  the  pleasant  things 
that  happened  in  the  course  of  the  next  month  to 
Hob  and  Nelly.  They  had  such  good  times  that  they 
hardly  ever  thought  of  their  disappointment  about  the 
mine.  And  even  Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  thought  less  and 
less  about  it  every  day,  they  were  so  much  interested  in 
talking  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cook.  Mr.  March  and  Mr. 
Cook  became  good  friends  very  soon.  Mr.  Cook  would 
often  work  all  day  long  in  the  fields  with  Mr.  March. 
He  said  it  made  him  feel  as  if  he  were  a  boy  again,  on 
his  father's  farm.  The  days  that  Rob  and  Nelly  went 
to  Rosita  were  very  long  days  to  Arthur.  He  was  so 
lonely  that  Mrs.  Cook  proposed  to  her  husband  one  day 
that  they  should  let  Thomas,  the  driver,  take  the  chil- 
dren up  to  town  in  the  carriage,  and  bring  them  right 
back  again. 

"  They  need  not  be  gone  more  than  two  hours  in 
all,"  she  said.  "  'It  is  that  tiresome  walk  that  takes  so 
long." 

But  Mr.  Cook  was  too  wise  to  do  this. 

"  That  would  not  be  any  true  kindness  to  the  chil- 
dren," he  said.  "It  is  much  better  that  they  should 
keep  on  with  the  regular  routine  of  their  life,  just  as 
they  did  before.  If  they  were  to  have  the  carriage  to 
take  them  up  to  town  for  a  month,  it  would  only  make 
the  walk  seem  very  long  and  hard  to  them  after  we  are 


312  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

gone.    We  will  give  them  all  the  pleasure  we  can,  with- 
out altering  their*  way  of  living. ' ' 

"  The  mere  fact  of  our  being  here  alters  their  whole 
life,"  said  Mrs.  Cook.  They  have  now  constant  com- 
panionship, and  a  variety  of  amusements  and  interests, 
in  Arthur's  toys  and  books,  which  are  all  new  to  them. 
Before  we  came,  they  had  solitude,  absolutely  no  amuse- 
ments, and  no  occupation  except  hard  work.  Nelly 
told  me  the  other  day  that  she  had  read  every  book  in 
their  house,  twice  over." 

"  There  are  not  very  many  books,"  said  Mr.  Cook: 
' '  I  don 't  know  how  March  comes  to  have  so  few. ' ' 

"  Oh,  they  had  to  sell  ever  so  many  last  summer: 
Mrs.  March  told  me  so, ' '  replied  Mrs.  Cook. 

"  By  Jove!  did  they?  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Cook.  "  That 
was  too  bad.  I  wonder  if  March  would  take  it  amiss 
if  I  sent  him  out  a  box  of  books  this  autumn." 

"  I  don't  know,"  Mrs.  Cook  said  thoughtfully. 
"  They  haven't  a  particle  of  false  pride,  about  their 
work,  or  selling  things,  or  any  thing  of  that  kind;  but 
I  doubt  their  liking  presents.  They  are  very  independ- 
ent." 

The  weeks  slipped  by  as  if  they  weren't  more  than 
three  days  long.  Rob  and  Nelly  got  up  before  daylight 
every  morning,  so  as  to  hurry  through  their  work  and 
go  down  to  the  tents,  —  down  to  "Arthur's,"  they 
always  called  it,  as  if  it  were  a  house.  Sometimes  they 
stayed  all  day,  till  it  was  time  for  Rob  to  go  for  the  cows. 
They  read,  or  they  played  dominoes  or  chequers  or  back- 
gammon ;  or  they  put  dissected  maps  together ;  or  they 
looked  at  all  sorts  of  things  under  the  microscope;  or 
they  painted  flowers:  this  was  the  nicest  thing  of  all. 
Mrs.  Cook  drew  and  painted  beautifully.  She  had  taught 
Arthur,  so  that  he  could  paint  a  little  simple  flower 
really  very  well ;  and  he  had  a  beautiful  paint-box,  full 
of  real  good  paints,  such  as  artists  use,  —  not  such  as  are 


CHANGES  IN  PROSPECT  313 

put  in  toy-boxes  for  children.  This  was  the  thing  Nelly 
enjoyed  best.  Then  Ralph,  the  cook,  used  to  go  off  gun- 
ning every  day;  and  he  brought  home  beautiful  birds, 
and  Arthur  and  Rob  used  to  nail  the  wings  on  boards 
to  dry.  Arthur  had  a  little  table  that  fitted  across  his 
chair,  and  on  this  table  he  could  pound  pretty  hard ;  and 
he  made  a  good  many  pretty  things  out  of  wood.  It 
seemed  to  Rob  that  there  wasn't  any  thing  in  the  whole 
world  which  Flora  could  not  bring  out  of  the  two  big 
black  boxes  which  stood  in  her  tent,  and  held  Arthur's 
things.  As  for  books,  he  had  fifty :  every  one  of  Mayne 
Reid's.  When  Rob  saw  those  he  was  delighted. 

"  Oh,  Arthur!  Arthur!  ain't  they  splendid!  I've 
had  '  The  Cliff  Climbers.'  " 

"  I  don 't  think  so, ' '  said  Arthur.  ' '  They  're  all  about 
hunting  and  fighting,  and  such  things. ' ' 

"  Oh,  my!  "  said  Rob,  "  don't  you  like  that?  That's 
just  what  I  like.  I'll  read  some  of  'em  to  you.  I  bet 
you'd  like  them."  And  when  Rob  read  them  to  him, 
Arthur  really  did  like  them. 

He  could  not  help  sharing  Rob's  enthusiasm;  but 
when  Rob  exclaimed :  —  "  Oh,  Arthur,  don 't  you  wish 
you  could  go  to  the  Himalayas?  "  poor  Arthur  only 
shuddered,  and  said :  — 

"  No,  indeed!  it  shakes  you  so  awfully  to  go  in  the 
cars. ' ' 

Rob  did  not  ask  him  again ;  but  he  told  Nelly  at  night 
what  Arthur  had  said,  and  he  added :  — 

"  Say,  Nell,  if  I  should  ever  get  to  be  like  Arthur, 
I'd  take  poison." 

"  Why,  Rob!  "  cried  Nelly,  "  that's  awfully  wicked! 
You  wouldn't  ever  dare  to!  "  And  Nelly  turned  pale 
with  fright. 

"  I  expect  it  is,"  said  Rob;  "  but  I  reckon  I'd  do  it! 
Why,  Nell,  I'd  just  have  to!  " 

Mrs.  Cook  sat  with  the  children  hours  at  a  time,  and 


314  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

listened  to  their  talk  and  play.  She  and  her  husband 
took  a  drive  or  a  ride  every  afternoon;  but  the  rest  of 
the  time  she  did  not  leave  Arthur.  The  more  she  saw 
the  influence  of  Rob  and  Nelly  upon  him,  the  more 
grateful  she  felt  for  the  strange  chance  which  had 
brought  them  together.  Arthur  was  really  growing  bet- 
ter. He  had  more  color,  more  appetite,  and  very  sel- 
dom complained  of  pain.  He  had  something  to  think 
of  beside  himself ;  and  he  was  happy,  —  the  two  best 
medicines  in  all  the  world :  they  will  cure  more  diseases 
than  people  dream. 

One  day,  Flora  said  to  Mrs.  Cook :  — 

"  I  suppose,  ma'am,  ye '11  be  going  soon.  There  was 
quite  a  frost  in  the  north  o '  the  valley  last  night,  Thomas 
was  telling  me.  They  say  there'll  be  snow  here  before 
long." 

'  *  Yes,  Flora,  I  suppose  we  will  have  to  go  very  soon : 
week  after  next,  Mr.  Cook  thinks,"  replied  Mrs.  Cook. 

Arthur  was  lying  back  in  his  chair,  with  his  eyes  shut. 
They  thought  he  was  asleep ;  but  at  the  sound  of  these 
words  he  opened  his  eyes,  and  cried  out :  — 

"  I  won't  go  away,  mamma!  I  won't  go!  You  can't 
make  me.  I'm  not  going  away  ever.  I'm  going  to  stay 
here." 

'  Why,  Arthur  dear !  ' :  said  his  mother,  ' l  you 
wouldn't  like  to  stay  here  without  papa  and  without 
me;  and  you  know  papa  must  go  home." 

"  Yes,  I  would!  "  cried  Arthur:  ''I've  been  think- 
ing about  it  for  ever  so  long.  Flora  can  stay:  she  can 
dress  and  undress  me;  and  I  can  live  in  Mrs.  March's 
house,  and  sleep  in  Rob's  bed.  I  asked  Nelly,  and  she 
said  I  could.  Rob  can  sleep  on  the  lounge.  I  shan't 
go  home.  I  hate  New  York;  and  if  you  take  me  back 
there  I'll  get  sicker  and  sicker,  and  die;  and  I  don't 
care  if  I  do,  if  I  can 't  stay  here !  ' ' 

Mrs.  Cook  was  grieved  and  shocked.     She  had  often 


CHANGES   IN   PROSPECT  315 

thought  to  herself  that  there  was  danger  that  Rob  and 
Nelly  would  be  discontented  and  lonely  when  Arthur 
went  away ;  but  strangely  enough  she  had  never  thought 
of  any  such  danger  for  Arthur.  She  had  often  wished 
she  could  take  Nelly  home  with  her  to  live;  but  she 
had  dismissed  it  from  her  mind  as  an  impossible  thing. 
Now  she  began  to  think  of  it  again.  She  sat  a  long 
time  in  silence,  turning  it  over  and  over. 

' '  "Why  don 't  you  speak,  mamma  ?  ' '  asked  Arthur : 
' '  are  you  angry  with  me  ?  ' : 

"  No,  dear,"  replied  Mrs.  Cook:  "  I  am  not  angry: 
only  very,  very  sorry;  and  I  am  trying  to  think  what 
we  can  do  to  make  you  happy  when  we  go  away.  I 
shall  be  very  sorry  if  all  our  pleasant  time  here  only 
makes  you  unhappier  after  you  go  home.  You  were 
very  contented  before  we  came  here. ' ' 

"  I  don't  think  I  was  very,  mamma,"  said  Arthur, 
sadly.  "  I  always  wanted  a  boy  or  a  girl;  and  none 
of  the  boys  and  girls  in  New  York  cared  any  thing 
about  me,  —  only  my  things ;  but  Nelly  is  just  like  my 
own  sister,  —  at  least  I  guess  that 's  the  way  sisters  are, 
—  and  Rob  is  just  like  my  brother.  Mamma,  I  can't 
go  away!  I  don't  see  why  you  can't  leave  me.  You 
and  papa  would  come  back  in  the  spring.  Oh,  mamma, 
let  me !  let  me !  >:  And  poor  Arthur  began  to  cry. 

Mrs.  Cook  put  her  arms  around  him,  and  laid  her 
face  down  close  to  his. 

1 '  My  darling  child !  ' '  she  said,  ' l  haven 't  papa  and  I 
done  every  thing  we  possibly  could  to  make  you  happy 
always?  " 

"  Yes,"  sobbed  Arthur;  "  and  that's  why  I  think  you 
might  leave  me  here. ' 7 

"  Dear  boy,  you  don't  seem  to  think,"  said  his 
mother,  "  how  lonely  papa  and  I  would  be  without 
you." 

"  Oh,  mamma,  would  you,  really?     How  could  you 


316  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

be?  I'm  only  a  bother:  I  can't  go  round  with  you  or 
any  thing.  I  think  you'd  have  a  great  deal  better  time 
without  me.  Perhaps  I  'd  get  so  I  could  walk  if  I  stayed 
here  all  winter.  You  know  one  doctor  said  I  ought  to 
stay  a  whole  year. ' ' 

"  Arthur,  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Cook,  earnestly,  "  do  not 
talk  any  more  about  this  now.  Promise  mamma  that 
you  will  try  not  to  think  about  it  either ;  and  I  promise 
you  I  will  talk  to  papa  and  see  what  he  thinks  can  be 
done.  All  we  want  in  this  world  is  to  make  you  happy, 
and  do  what  is  best  for  you. ' ' 

'  *  Will  you  ask  him  to  let  me  stay  ?  ' '  cried  Arthur. 

"  I  will  tell  him  how  you  feel  about  being  separated 
from  Nelly  and  Rob, ' '  replied  his  mother ;  * l  and  I  think 
we  can  arrange  in  some  way. ' ' 

Mrs.  Cook  had  already  made  up  her  mind  what  she 
would  do.  She  would  ask  Mrs.  March  to  let  Nelly  go 
back  with  them  to  New  York  for  the  winter.  She  knew 
that  Mr.  Cook  would  be  willing;  and  she  believed  that 
Mrs.  March  might  be  persuaded  to  consent,  on  account 
of  the  advantage  it  would  be  to  Nelly.  But  she  would 
not  mention  this  plan  to  Arthur  now,  because  he  would 
only  be  all  the  more  disappointed  if  it  failed.  Arthur 
leaned  his  head  back  in  his  chair,  and  shut  his  .eyes 
again. 

"  Oh,  dear!  "  he  said,  "  crying  does  always  make  my 
head  ache  so!  " 

' '  Yes,  dear, ' '  said  his  mother,  ' '  that  is  reason  enough, 
if  there  were  no  other,  why  you  should  try  hard  to  be- 
have like  a  man  always,  and  never  let  any  little  thing 
upset  you  enough  to  make  you  cry." 

' '  I  know  it, ' '  said  Arthur,  forlornly ;  ' l  but  you  cry 
before  you  think  you're  going  to;  and  then  you  can't 
stop." 

As  soon  as  Mrs.  Cook  was  alone  with  her  husband, 
she  told  him  what  Arthur  had  said. 


CHANGES   IN   PROSPECT  317 

11  I  am  not  at  all  surprised,"  he  replied:  "  I  have 
been  expecting  it. ' ' 

"  Of  course  it  would  never  do  to  leave  the  child  here," 
said  Mrs.  Cook. 

"  Of  course  not,"  said  Mr.  Cook.  "  But  I'll  tell  you 
what  we  might  do:  take  Rob  and  Nelly  home  with  us 
for  the  winter.  I  think  their  father  and  mother  would 
let  them  go." 

"  Rob  too?  "  said  Mrs.  Cook. 

"  Rob  too!  "  echoed  Mr.  Cook.  "  Why,  if  I  could 
have  but  one  Rob  would  be  the  one;  but  if  we  take 
one  we've  got  to  take  both:  you  might  as  well  propose 
to  separate  the  Siamese  twins." 

"  I  was  thinking  of  proposing  to  take  Nelly,"  said 
Mrs.  Cook.  "  I  don't  see  how  Mrs.  March  could  spare 
them  both." 

' '  She  could  easier  let  them  both  go  than  have  one  left 
behind  to  pine.  I  don't  know  but  it  would  kill  them  to 
be  apart  from  each  other.  I  don't  see,  though,  how  you 
can  prefer  Nelly  to  Rob  ?  ' : 

11  And  I  don't  see  how  you  can  prefer  Rob  to  Nelly," 
answered  Mrs.  Cook:  "  as  a  companion  for  Arthur, 
Nelly  is  twice  as  good  as  Rob." 

11  Does  Arthur  like  her  better?  "  asked  Mr.  Cook. 

"  Yes,  I  think  he  does,"  replied  Mrs.  Cook:  "  he 
seems  to  lean  on  her.  He  is  very  fond  of  Rob,  too. 
He  said  to-day  that  they  were  just  like  his  sister  and 
brother." 

"  Let  us  go  down  to-night  and  ask  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
March  about  it,"  said  Mr.  Cook.  "  The  sooner  it  is 
settled  the  better.  If  Arthur  has  got  this  crotchet  in 
his  head  about  staying,  he  won 't  be  easy  a  minute. ' ' 

After  "tea,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cook  walked  down  to  the 
house,  and  proposed  the  plan.  At  first,  Mr.  March 
said  no,  most  decidedly.  But  Mrs.  March  begged  him 
to  consider  the  thing,  and  not  decide  too  hastily. 


318  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

11  Think  what  a  splendid  thing  it  would  be  for  the 
children,"  she  said. 

"  But  think  what  a  desolate  winter  you  would  have 
here  without  them,"  said  Mr.  March. 

'  *  Oh,  no,  not  desolate !  ' '  said  Mrs.  March :  ' '  not 
desolate  with  you  here.  Nelly  would  write  every  week. 
The  winter  would  soon  pass  away.  And,  Robert,  they 
may  never  have  another  such  opportunity  in  their  lives. 
I  think  it  would  be  wrong  for  us  to  refuse  it  for  them." 

"  Why  not  consult  them?  "  said  Mr.  Cook. 

'  *  I  know  beforehand  what  they  would  say, ' '  answered 
Mr.  March.  ' '  Nelly  would  say  stay  here,  and  Rob  would 
say  go.  No:  we  must  decide  the  question  ourselves; 
and  Mrs.  March  is  right:  we  ought  not  to  decide  too 
hastily.  We  will  let  you  know  in  the  mornng. ' ' 

11  You  understand,  I  hope,"  said  Mrs.  Cook,  "  that  it 
is  a  very  great  favor,  for  the  sake  of  our  helpless  boy, 
that  we  ask  it.  It  is  really  asking  you  to  give  up  your 
two  children  for  a  time,  just  to  make  our  one  happy." 

"  I  understand  that,"  replied  Mr.  March;  "  but  you 
must  know  that  it  is  also  a  very  great  obligation  under 
which  we  lay  ourselves  to  you.  I  feel  it  to  be  such,  and 
I  confess  I  shrink  from  it :  I  can  never  repay  it. ' ' 

' '  Nonsense !  ' '  said  Mr.  Cook.  ' '  The  obligation  is  all 
on  our  side ;  and  if  you  had  ever  had  a  poor  helpless 
child  like  Arthur,  you  could  realize  it.  Why,  March, 
I'd  give  all  my  fortune  this  moment,  and  begin  at  the 
bottom  and  make  it  all  over  again,  if  I  could  see  Arthur 
well  and  strong  as  your  Rob. ' '  And  the  tears  filled  Mr. 
Cook's  eyes,  as  he  shook  hands  with  Mrs.  March,  and 
bade  her  good-night. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  talked  nearly  all  night  before 
they  could  come  to  a  decision  about  this  matter.  It  was 
a  terrible  thing  to  them  to  look  forward  to  a  whole  win- 
ter without  the  children.  But  Mrs,  March  continually 
said :  — 


CHANGES   IN   PROSPECT  319 

"  Eobert,  suppose  we  never  have  another  chance  to 
give  either  of  them  such  an  opportunity  of  pleasure  and 
improvement  as  this.  How  shall  we  feel  when  we  look 
back  ?  We  should  never  forgive  ourselves. ' ' 

So  it  was  decided  that  the  children  should  go. 

In  the  morning  Mrs.  March  said  to  Nelly :  — 

' '  You  '11  miss  Arthur  when  he  goes :   won 't  you  ?  ' ' 

Nelly  hesitated,  and  finally  said :  — 

' '  Arthur  says  he  won 't  go !  ' 3 

'  *  Won 't  go !  ' '  exclaimed  Mrs.  March :  1 1  what  does 
he  mean?'1 

"  He  is  going  to  ask  his  father  to  ask  you  to  let  him 
stay  here  with  us, ' '  replied  Nelly.  ' '  I  thought  he  might 
sleep  in  Rob's  bed.  Eob  says  he'd  just  as  soon  sleep 
on  the  lounge;  and  I  thought  you'd  be  willing.  He's 
such  a  poor  dear !  I  could  take  all  the  care  of  him. ' ' 

"  Would  you  really  like  to  have  him?  "  said  Mrs. 
March. 

'  *  Oh,  yes,  indeed,  mamma,  ever  so  much !  I  love  him 
as  well  as  I  do  Bob,  —  almost:  not  quite,  I  guess,  be- 
cause he  isn't  my  own  brother;  but  it  is  so  hard  for 
him  to  be  sick,  that  makes  me  love  him  more. ' ' 

"  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cook  came  down  here  last  night  to 
ask  us  to  let  you  and  Rob  go  back  to  New  York  with 
them  for  the  winter,"  said  Mrs.  March,  very  quietly, 
watching  Nelly's  face  as  she  spoke. 

It  turned  scarlet  in  one  second,  and  the  voice  was 
almost  a  shriek  in  which  Nelly  cried  out :  — 

"  Oh,  mamma!  how  perfectly  splendid!  Can  we 
go?" 

Then  in  the  very  next  second  she  said :  - 

11  But  you  couldn't  spare  us:  could  you?  You 
couldn't  stay  here  all  alone."  And  her  face  fell. 

"  Yes,  I  think  we  could  spare  you;  and  we  have  said 
you  might  go, ' '  said  Mrs.  March,  smiling. 

Nelly's  arms  were  round  her  mother's  neck  in  one 


320  NELLY'S    SILVER   MINE 

moment,  and  she  was  kissing  her  and  half  laughing  and 
half  crying. 

"  Oh,  mamma!  mamma!  "  she  said,  "  I  can't  tell 
whether  I  am  glad  or  sorry.  I  don't  want  to  go  away 
from  you;  but  oh!  if  you  only  could  hear  Arthur  tell 
of  all  the  beautiful  things  in  New  York !  Oh !  I  don 't 
know  whether  I  am  sorry  or  glad !  ' ' 

But  Mrs.  March  knew  very  well  that  she  was  glad, 
and  this  made  it  much  easier  for  her  to  bear  the  thought 
of  the  separation. 

If  Nelly,  the  quiet  Nelly,  were  as  glad  and  excited  as 
this,  how  do  you  suppose  the  adventurous  Rob  felt,  when 
he  heard  the  news  ?  The  house  wouldn  't  hold  him.  He 
had  to  run  out  and  turn  summersaults  on  the  grass. 
Then  he  raced  off  down  to  the  tents,  and  told  Flora  and 
Ralph  and  Thomas.  It  was  early  in  the  morning,  and 
Arthur  was  not  up.  All  the  servants  were  glad.  They 
all  liked  Rob  and  Nelly,  and  they  all  saw  how  much  bet- 
ter Arthur  had  grown  since  he  had  had  children  to  play 
with. 

"  Ah,  Master  Rob,"  said  Thomas,  "  just  wait  till  I 
drive  ye  all  out  in  the  Park:  that's  a  place  worth  look- 
ing at,  —  all  beautiful  green  grass,  and  lakes,  and  roads 
as  smooth  and  hard  as  a  beach,  and  groves  of  trees,  — 
not  like  this  bare  wilderness,  I  can  tell  ye. ' ' 

"  Are  there  mountains  there,  Thomas?  "  asked  Rob. 

' '  Mountains !  no  !  The  Lord  be  praised :  never  a 
mountain !  ' '  exclaimed  Ralph ;  ' '  and  if  ever  I  'm  thank- 
ful for  any  thing,  it  is  to  get  out  of  sight  of  the  ugly 
sides  of  'em!  " 

11  Oh,  Ralph!  "  was  all  Rob  could  say  at  hearing  such 
an  opinion  of  mountains. 

When  Flora  and  Thomas  brought  Arthur  out  of  the 
tent,  Rob  ran  towards  them. 

"  Oh,  Arthur—  "  he  began. 

"  I  know  all  about  it,"  said  Arthur;  "  Nelly  and  you 


CHANGES   IN   PROSPECT  321 

are  going  home  with  us.  I'd  rather  stay  here,  but  they 
won 't  let  me ;  and  having  you  go  home  with  us  is  next 
best." 

Rob  thought  this  was  rather  an  ungracious  way  for 
Arthur  to  speak,  and  so  it  was. 

I  i  You  wouldn  't  like  it  here  in  the  winter  half  so  well 
as  you  do  now,  Arthur,"  he  said.     "  It's  awfully  cold 
sometimes ;    and  real  deep  snow.     You  'd  be  shut  up  in 
the  house  lots. ' ' 

"  So  I  am  at  home,"  said  Arthur:  "  weeks  and 
weeks. ' ' 

' '  But  your  house  is  nicer  to  be  shut  up  in  than  ours, ' ' 
continued  Rob. 

"  I  don't  care,"  said  Arthur:  "  I  wanted  to  stay. 
But  I'm  real  glad  you  and  Nelly  are  going.  Can  Nelly 
skate  ?  We  '11  go  and  see  her  skate  in  the  Park. ' ' 

"  No,  she  can't;  but  I  can,"  said  Rob.  "  Is  there 
good  skating  there  ?  ' : 

"  Oh,  goodness,  Rob!  "  exclaimed  Arthur,  "  didn't 
you  know  about  the  skating  in  Central  Park?  Well, 
you  '11  see !  We  drive  up  there  every  pleasant  day. 
I'm  sick  of  it.  But  the  ska  ting's  some  fun:  I  wish  I 
could  skate." 

II  Perhaps  you'll  get  strong  enough  to,  pretty  soon," 
said  Rob,  sympathizingly. 

"  If  they'd  let  me  stay  here  I  might,"  said  Arthur, 
fretfully;  "  but  they  won't." 

The  nights  grew  cool  so  fast  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cook 
began  to  be  impatient  to  set  out  for  home.  At  first, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  pleaded  with  them  to  stay  longer; 
but  one  morning  Mrs.  March  said  suddenly  to  her  hus- 
band :  — 

"  Robert,  I've  changed  my  mind  about  the  children's 
going :  I  think  the  sooner  they  go  the  better.  It  is  just 
like  having  a  day  set  for  having  a  tooth  pulled :  you 
suffer  all  the  pain  ten  times  over  in  anticipating  it.  I 


322  NELLY'S    SILVER    MINE 

can 't  think  about  any  thing  else  from  morning  till  night. 
Oh,  I  do  hope  we  haven 't  done  wrong !  ' : 

' '  It  isn  't  too  late  yet  to  keep  them  at  home, ' '  said  Mr. 
March.  "  Don't  let  us  do  it  if  your  mind  is  not  clear. 
I  don't  think  Nelly  more  than  half  wants  to  go  now." 

"  Oh,  yes,  she  does!  "  replied  Mrs.  March.  "  She  is 
so  excited  in  the  prospect  that  she  talks  in  her  sleep 
about  it.  I  heard  her,  last  night." 

11  The  dear  child!  "  said  Mr.  March.  "  It  was  Nelly 
that  they  really  wanted  most. ' ' 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  Mrs.  March,  quickly:  "  Mr.  Cook 
told  me  that  he  would  have  only  asked  for  Rob,  but  he 
knew  the  children  could  not  be  separated. ' ' 

"  Well,  that's  odd,"  said  Mr.  March.  "  Mrs.  Cook 
told  me  that  she  had  been  long  thinking  that  she  wished 
she  could  have  Nelly,  but  she  knew  it  would  be  out  of 
the  question  to  separate  the  children." 

Mrs.  March  laughed.  •• 

* '  I  see, ' '  she  said :  ' '  they  disagree  about  the  children, 
just  as  you  arid  I  do.  Mrs.  Cook  likes  Nelly  best,  and 
Mr.  Cook  likes  Rob." 

"Why,  Sarah!"  exclaimed  Mr.  March,  "what  do 
you  mean?  We  love  the  children  just  alike." 

' '  Yes,  perhaps  we  love  them  equally, ' '  replied  Mrs. 
March ;  ' '  but  we  don 't  like  them  equally.  I  like  Rob 's 
ways  best,  and  you  like  Nelly's.  It's  always  been  so, 
ever  since  they  were  born.  You'll  see  Nelly  will  make 
a  good,  loving,  lovable  woman;  but  Rob  will  make  a 
splendid  man.  Rob  will  do  something  in  the  world: 
you  see  if  he  does  not !  ' : 

Mr.  March  smiled. 

"  I  hope  he  will,"  he  said.  "  But  as  for  my  little 
Nelly,  I  wouldn't  ask  any  thing  more  for  her  than  to 
be,  as  you  say, '  a  good,  loving,  lovable  woman. '  7 ' 


CHAPTER   XVI 


WHEN  Nelly  heard  that  they  were  to  set  out  in 
three  days,  she  exclaimed :  — 

"  Why,  I  didn't  bid  Ulrica  good-by,  or  Mr.  Klees- 
man,  or  Billy  and  Lucinda.  I  thought  we  weren't  going 
for  two  weeks.  Mayn't  I  go  up  to-morrow,  mamma? 
I  can  sell  some  eggs,  too,  even  if  it  isn't  the  regular 
day.  Ever  so  many  people  ask  me  for  them  always. 
Hardly  anybody  keeps  hens  in  Rosita. ' ' 

Mrs.  March  said  she  might  go.  So,  very  early  the 
next  morning,  Nelly  set  off  on  her  last  trip  to  Rosita. 
Billy  was  standing  in  his  doorway  as  she  passed. 

"  Hullo,  Nelly!    Where's  Rob?  "  he  said. 

"  Rob's  at  home  with  Arthur,"  she  replied.  "  He 
didn't  want  to  come.  I  only  came  to  bid  everybody 
good-by.  We  're  going  day  after  to-morrow. ' ' 

"Be  yer?"  said  Billy,  slowly.  "Be  yer  glad, 
Nelly?  " 

"  Why,  yes,  Billy,  I  can't  help  being  glad;  and  for 
all  that,  it  makes  me  cry  when  I  think  about  going 
away  from  mamma  and  papa.  Isn  't  that  queer  ?  ' '  said 
Nelly:  "I'm  glad,  and  yet  it  makes  me  cry." 

"  No,  'tain't  queer,"  said  Billy:  "  'twould  be  queerer 
if  ye  didn't.  Ain't  Rob  goin'  to  bid  anybody  good-by?  " 

"  Oh,  he'll  have  time  when  we  go  by,  the  day  we  go," 
said  Nelly.  "  We're  all  coming  up  to  Rosita  to  sleep 
to-morrow  night  at  the  hotel;  and  then  papa  and 
mamma  and  Rob  and  I  are  going  in  the  stage  to  Canyon 


324  NELLY'S    SILVER    MINE 

City.  There  isn't  room  for  any  more  in  Mr.  Cook's 
carriage.  Perhaps  Rob '11  go  in  the  wagon  with  Ralph 
and  Thomas.  He  wants  to;  but  mamma  wants  to  see 
all  of  him  she  can. ' ' 

"  That's  just  the  difference  between  them  two  chil- 
dren, Luce,"  said  Billy,  after  Nelly  had  walked  on: 
' '  Rob  he 's  all  for  himself,  without  meanin '  to  be,  either ; 
he  jest  don't  think:  but  Nelly  she's  's  thoughtful  's  a 
woman  about  everybody." 

"  I  donno  why  you  say  's  thoughtful  's  a  woman, 
Billy,"  said  Lucinda.  "  I've  seen  plenty  of  women 
that  was  as  selfish  as  any  men  ever  I  see. ' ' 

il  Well,  I  expect  that's  so,  Luce,"  said  Billy.  "  You 
ought  to  know,  bein'  a  woman." 

Nelly  went  first  to  Ulrica's.  Ulrica  listened  with 
wide  open  mouth  and  eyes  to  the  news  that  she  would 
see  Nelly  no  more  all  winter.  At  first,  her  face  was 
very  sad ;  but  in  a  few  moments  she  said :  — 

' '  Bah !  shame  me  to  be  sorry.  It  are  goot !  goot ! 
Ulrica  vill  be  glad.  Ven  you  come  back  ?  ' ' 

li  Early  next  summer,"  replied  Nelly.  "  Mr.  Cook 
always  comes  to  Colorado  in  June." 

Ulrica  ran  to  the  big  oak-chest,  and  opening  it  took 
out  the  blue  skirt  and  red  bodice  she  had  been  making 
for  Nelly. 

' '  See !  it  are  not  done :  that  goot-f or-not  'ing  Sachs  he 
promise,  promise,  all  de  time  promise  to  make  buttons." 

"  What  is  it,  Ulrica?  "  asked  Nelly. 

1 1  Oh,  you  not  know  ?  It  are  gown,  —  Swede  gown 
for  you :  like  mine  child. ' '  And  she  ran  for  the  picture- 
book  of  costumes,  and  pointed  to  one  like  it. 

Nelly  was  much  pleased. 

"  Oh !  how  good  of  you,  Ulrica !  ' '  she  said.  * '  Mrs. 
Cook  would  love  to  see  me  put  that  dress  on,  I  am  sure. 
I  will  wear  it  sometimes  in  the  house,  when  I  am  in 
New  York,  to  remind  me  of  you. ' ' 


"  GOOT-BY   AND    GOOT   LUCK  '  325 

"I  get  buttons  to-day !  ' '  said  Ulrica,  fiercely.  ' '  I 
stay  by  dat  Sachs  till  he  cut  dem.  It  are  not  work: 
he  do  it  in  five  minnit.  You  come  again  to-night:  it 
are  done. ' ' 

Mrs.  Clapp  and  Mr.  Kleesman  were  both  very  much 
pleased  to  hear  that  Nelly  was  going  away  with  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Cook.  Mrs.  Clapp  kissed  her,  and  said :  — 

"  Good-by,  dear!  You  are  a  brave  little  girl,  and 
deserve  to  have  a  nice,  long  play-spell;  and  I  am  glad 
you  are  going  to  have  one.  Wait  a  minute,  and  I  will 
give  you  something  to  wear  on  your  journey."  Then 
she  ran  upstairs,  and  brought  down  a  nice  leather  belt 
with  a  pretty  little  leather  bag  hanging  from  it,  just  big 
enough  to  hold  a  purse.  "  There,  that  is  to  keep  your 
purse  in,  and  your  railroad  ticket,"  she  said,  and  fas- 
tened it  around  Nelly's  waist. 

Mr.  Kleesman  also  kissed  Nelly,  and  said  he  was  glad 
she  was  going. 

"  You  haf  earn  that  you  haf  playtime,"  he  said. 
* '  You  haf  vork  all  summer  like  von  voman  more  as  von 
little  girl." 

"  I  wonder  why  they  all  say  such  things  to  me," 
thought  Nelly.  "  I  am  sure  I  don't  know  what  I  have 
done.  If  they  mean  selling  the  eggs,  that  was  only 
fun." 

"  Do  you  mean  selling  the  eggs,  sir?  "  asked  honest 
Nelly.  "  That  was  not  work:  it  was  just  fun.  Rob 
and  I  never  had  such  a  good  time  before.  We  would 
have  liked  to  come  every  day. ' ' 

Mr.  Kleesman  nodded. 

"  I  know!  I  know!  "  he  said.  "  You  are  not  like 
American  ehilds. ' '  Then  he  asked :  — 

"  And  vat  do  become  of  the  Goot  Luck  mine?  I  not 
hear  not 'ing  since." 

11  Oh!  "  said  Nelly,  "  we  have  almost  forgotten  about 
the  old  mine.  It  wasn  't  '  good  luck :  '  was  it  ?  But  Mr. 


326  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

Scholfield  keeps  on  working  at  it  now.  He  will  not  give 
up  that  it  is  not  good  for  any  thing. ' ' 

"  I  say  not,  it  are  wort  not 'ing,"  replied  Mr.  Klees- 
man:  "  I  say  it  not  pay  to  work  it.  It  cost  too  much 
for  so  little  silver  as  come  out. ' ' 

' '  Yes,  sir ;  papa  understood  that, ' '  said  Nelly ;  '  *  and 
he  was  very  much  obliged  to  you  indeed ;  and  so  we  all 
were. ' ' 

Then  Mr.  Kleesman  said :  — 

'  *  Come  in !  come  in !  Can  you  to  vait  von  little  ?  I 
make  for  you  silver  rose,  that  you  carry  viz  you." 

1 ;  Oh,  thank  you !  ' '  said  Nelly ;  and  followed  him  in, 
wondering  much  what  he  meant  by  a  silver  rose. 

Then  he  took  out  of  the  glass  box,  where  the  brass 
scales  were,  a  little  saucer,  full  of  tiny  silver  beads  like 
pin-heads.  These  he  folded  up  in  a  bit  of  paper,  shaped 
like  a  little  cocked  hat.  This  he  put  into  one  of  the  little 
clay  cups,  and  set  it  in  the  glowing  red-hot  oven.  Pretty 
soon  Nelly  looked  in.  The  silver  was  boiling  and  bub- 
bling in  the  little  cup;  the  bubbles  looked  like  shining 
silver  eyes  on  the  red;  then  there  came  beautiful  rain- 
bow colors  all  over  it. 

' '  See  you  it  haf  colors  like  rainbow  ?  ' '  said  Mr.  Klees- 
man :  ' '  ven  dey  come  it  are  almost  done. ' ' 

In  a  second  more  he  took  out  the  cup:  set  it  on  the 
iron  anvil :  there  was  a  fiery  line  of  red  around  the  sil- 
ver button:  the  button  was  about  the  size  of  a  three- 
cent  piece. 

' '  Yatch !  vatch !  ' '  cried  Mr.  Kleesman :  "in  one 
second  it  burst. ' ' 

Sure  enough,  in  one  second  the  round  button  burst  in 
the  middle,  and  the  hot  silver  gushed  up  like  a  little 
fairy  fountain  of  water,  not  more  than  quarter  of  an 
inch  high :  in  the  same  instant  it  fell,  cooled,  and  there 
was  a  sort  of  flower,  not  unlike  a  rose,  of  frosted  silver. 

"  Dere!   ven  you  are  in  New  York,  you  can  take  dis 


"  GOOT-BY   AND    GOOT   LUCK  '  327 

to  jeweller,  and  he  put  pin  on  it ;  and  you  shall  vear  it, 
and  tell  to  all  peoples  you  haf  seen  it  ven  it  vas  made 
by  old  man  in  de  Colorado  mountains. ' '  < 

Nelly  took  the  pretty  thing  in  her  hands  and  looked 
at  it  with  delight.  She  had  never  had  any  thing  so 
pretty,  she  thought;  and  she  thanked  Mr.  Kleesman 
again  and  again,  as  she  bade  him  good-by. 

' '  Oh,  I  see  you  again :  I  see  you  ven  you  go  in  stage. 
I  not  say  good-by  to-day, ' '  he  said,  and  looked  after  her 
lovingly  as  she  ran  down  the  steps. 

Ulrica  had  a  stormy  time  of  it  with  Sachs,  the  tin- 
man, before  she  could  get  him  to  cut  out  the  make- 
believe  buttons  for  Nelly's  gown.  He  was  at  work  on 
a  big  boiler,  and  he  did  not  want  to  stop.  Ulrica's 
broken  English  grew  so  much  more  broken  when  she 
was  angry,  that  hardly  any  one  could  understand  her; 
and  William  Sachs,  who  was  a  German,  knew  English 
very  little  better  than  Ulrica:  so  between  them  they 
made  sad  work  of  it. 

' '  I  stamp  my  foot  at  him, ' '  said  Ulrica,  telling  Nelly 
the  tale :  "  I  stamp  at  him  my  foot,  and  I  take  out  of 
his  hand  his  big  hammer  vat  he  pound,  pound  viz  all 
time  dat  I  am  speak,  so  dat  he  not  hear  my  speak.  I 
take  out  his  hand,  and  I  f row  down  on  floor ;  and  I  say, 
'  I  not  stir  till  you  my  buttons  haf  cut  for  mine  child ;  ' 
and  ven  he  see  I  not  stir,  he  take  tools  and  he  cut,  cut, 
cut,  and  all  the  time  he  swear  at  me;  he  call  me  '  tarn 
Swede  woman;  '  but  I  not  care.  And  here  are  gown: 
now  you  come  in  and  put  on. ' ' 

So  Nelly  went  in,  and  Ulrica  helped  her  to  undress. 
When  she  saw  Nelly 's  white  neck,  she  stooped  down  and 
kissed  her,  and  said :  — 

"  Mine  child  haf  white  skin :  like  your  skin." 

The  red  bodice  fitted  Nelly  very  well ;  and  she  looked 
lovely  in  it.  It  had  a  low  collar,  all  covered  with  the 
shining  tin  buttons ;  and  in  the  front  there  was  a  square 


328  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

space  of  white  muslin,  and  the  tin  buttons  were  sewed 
on  all  round  this.  The  blue  petticoat  was  too  long:  it 
lay  on  the  ground  two  inches  or  more.  Ulrica  looked  at 
it  dismayed. 

' '  Ach !  "  she  said :  ' '  ach !  you  haf  not  so  tall  I  tink. 

I  make  him  now  in  von  little  more  as  short. ' '    And  down 
on  the  floor  she  sat,  and  hemmed  up  the  skirt  in  a  won- 
derfully quick  time. 

' '  Ach !  if  you  vait  till  Jan  see  you  in  dis, ' '  she  said, 
looking  imploringly  at  Nelly,  with  tears  running  down 
her  face.  "  You  are  mine  child,  mine  child!  " 

But  Nelly  knew  that  Jan  would  not  be  at  home  till 
six  o'clock,  and  she  could  not  stay  so  long.  So  she  took 
off  the  pretty  costume,  and  kissed  Ulrica,  and  thanked 
her  many  times  over ;  and  set  off  for  home  with  all  her 
presents  safe-packed  in  her  basket. 

When  Rob  saw  the  presents,  he  said :  — 

"  Oh,  my!  I  wonder  if  they'd  all  have  given  me 
things  too,  if  I'd  gone  up.  Did  they  say  any  thing  about 
me?  " 

"  They  asked  why  you  didn't  come,"  replied  Nelly; 

II  and  I  told  them  you  meant  to  bid  them  good-by  to- 
morrow, when  we  started  on  the  journey." 

"  All  right!  "  said  Rob:  "  if  they've  got  any  thing 
for  me  they  can  give  it  to  me  then. ' ' 

"  I  never  thought  of  their  giving  me  any  thing,"  said 
Nelly:  "  I  wonder  what  made  them." 

"  Because  they  all  know  that  you  love  them,  Nelly," 
said  her  father:  "  don't  you?  " 

' l  Yes,  I  think  so, ' '  said  Nelly,  hesitatingly :  ' '  almost 
love  them,  —  not  quite,  I  guess :  except  Ulrica.  I  love 
her  dearly. ' ' 

' '  And  Lucinda  and  Billy, ' '  added  Rob.  ' '  I  love  them 
best  of  all.  I  don't  love  any  of  the  rest.  You  can't 
love  everybody." 

At  sunset  the  next  night,  the  March  house  was  shut 


'''  GOOT-BY   AND    GOOT   LUCK  "          329 

up;  the  tents  were  all  gone;  the  whole  place  looked 
deserted  and  silent.  Everybody  had  gone:  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Cook  and  Flora  and  Arthur  in  the  carriage ;  Ralph 
and  Thomas  and  Rob  in  the  white-topped  wagon;  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  and  Nelly  in  Mr.  Scholfield's  buggy, 
which  he  had  lent  them.  They  drove  up  to  Rosita  in 
time  to  see  the  sunset  from  the  top  of  the  hill.  Nelly 
looked  at  the  mountains  as  they  changed  from  blue  to 
purple,  and  from  purple  to  dusky  gray:  she  did  not 
speak.  At  last  her  mother  said :  — 

"  You  won't  forget  how  the  mountains  look:  will 
you,  Nelly?  " 

'  Not  a  bit  more  than  I'll  forget  how  you  and  papa 
look!  "  said  Nelly:  "  not  a  bit!  ': 

After  tea,  Rob  went  to  bid  Mrs.  Clapp  and  Mr.  Klees- 
man  and  Ulrica  and  Jan  good-by.  Everybody  spoke 
very  cordially  to  him,  and  hoped  he  would  have  a  good 
time;  but  nobody  gave  him  any  thing,  and  Rob  was 
a  good  deal  disappointed.  He  said  nothing  about  it  when 
he  came  home:  he  was  ashamed  to.  But  Nelly  knew 
how  he  felt,  just  as  well  as  if  he  had  told  her;  and  in 
her  good  little  heart  she  was  very  sorry  for  him. 

"  Mamma,"  she  said,  "  isn't  it  too  bad  that  none  of 
them  gave  Rob  any  thing,  when  they  gave  me  all  those 
nice  things  ?  ' ' 

"  Yes,  I'm  sorry,"  said  Mrs.  March;  "  but  he  has 
not  been  here  so  much  as  you  have,  —  that  is  the  reason : 
and  he  is  so  happy  in  the  prospect  of  his  journey,  he 
will  not  mind  it. ' ' 

The  stage  from  Rosita  to  Canyon  City  set  off  at  seven 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  When  it  drove  up  to  the  hotel 
door,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  March  and  Rob  and  Nelly  were  all 
ready,  sitting  on  the  piazza.  While  they  were  getting 
in,  Mr.  Kleesman's  door  opened,  and  he  came  running 
up,  with  his  red  cotton  cap  still  on  his  head:  in  his 
hurry  he  had  forgotten  to  take  it  off.  He  looked  so  droll 


330  NELLY'S   SILVER   MINE 

that  even  Nelly  laughed;  and  this  reminded  him  of  his 
night-cap. 

* '  Ach !  "  he  said,  and  snatched  it  off  and  crammed  it 
into  his  pocket. 

In  a  moment  more,  who  should  come  hurrying  up  the 
hill  but  Jan  and  Ulrica;  and,  behind  them,  Billy  and 
Lucinda.  Billy  and  Lucinda  had  come  up  to  town  the 
night  before,  and  slept  at  Lucinda 's  father's  house,  so 
as  to  be  on  hand  to  see  Nelly  and  Rob  off. 

None  of  the  Cook  family  were  up.  Their  horses  would 
go  so  much  faster  than  the  stage  horses,  they  were  not 
going  to  set  out  until  noon.  Ralph  and  Thomas  had 
started  with  the  heavy  wagon  at  daylight. 

There  were  no  other  passengers  to  go  in  the  stage  ex- 
cept the  Marches:  so  the  driver  did  not  hurry  them; 
and,  after  they  had  taken  their  seats,  Jan  and  Ulrica 
and  Billy  and  Lucinda  all  crowded  around,  saying  last 
words. 

Ulrica  had  brought  two  great  bouquets  of  purple  and 
white  asters  and  golden-rod,  the  only  flowers  that  were 
then  in  bloom. 

"  Dese  are  for  you,"  she  said  to  the  children;  but, 
when  they  reached  out  their  hands  to  take  them,  she 
shook  her  head,  and  said :  ' '  No,  I  f row  dem :  it  haf 
luck  to  f  row  dem. ' ' 

Lucinda  had  brought  a  little  parcel  in  which  were 
two  knit  scarfs,  which  she  had  knit  herself:  one  white 
and  one  red.  The  red  one  was  for  Rob  and  the  white 
one  for  Nelly,  she  said.  They  were  very  pretty.  Billy 
brought  a  knife  for  Rob :  a  capital  knife,  one  with  four 
blades.  Rob's  face  flushed  with  pleasure. 

li  Why,  Billy,"  he  said,  "  how'd  you  know  I'd  lost 
my  knife  ?  ' ' 

11  Oh,  I  found  out,"  said  Billy.  The  truth  was,  that 
Billy  had  walked  all  the  way  down  to  the  tents,  a  few 
days  before,  and  asked  Ralph  and  Flora  if  they  knew 


'''  GOOT-BY   AND    GOOT   LUCK  '  331 

of  any  thing  Rob  wanted ;  and  Flora  told  him  how  Rob 
had  lost  his  knife  that  very  day,  —  had  dropped  it  in 
the  creek,  while  he  was  cutting  willows  to  make  whis- 
tles of.  After  Billy  had  given  Rob  the  knife,  he  pulled 
out  of  his  pocket  a  little  parcel  done  up  in  white  paper, 
and  handed  it  to  Nelly,  saying :  — 

"  I  donno  's  it'll  be  of  any  kind  o'  use  to  yer;  but 
I  thought  'twas  kind  o '  putty. ' ' 

Nelly  opened  the  paper.  It  held  a  queer  little  scarlet 
velvet  pincushion,  in  a  white  ivory  frame,  which  was 
made  so  that  it  could  screw  on  a  table. 

"  Oh,  how  pretty!  "  said  Nelly.  "  Thank  you,  Billy. 
I  '11  keep  it  on  my  table  all  winter. ' ' 

Mr.  Kleesman  stood  behind  the  others.  He  smiled 
and  bowed,  and  said  to  Mr.  March :  — 

"  You  haf  goot  day.    The  sun  shine  on  your  journey." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  March.  "I'm  afraid  it  will  not 
shine  so  bright  when  we  come  back  without  these  little 
people. ' ' 

"  No,  dat  it  vill  not,"  said  Mr.  Kleesman.  "  Dat  it 
villnot." 

' '  Well, ' '  said  the  driver,  gathering  up  the  reins  in  his 
left  hand,  and  lifting  his  whip,  "  I  guess  we'll  have  to 
be  movin'  along,  if  you're  ready,  sir." 

"  All  ready,"  said  Mr.  March. 

The  driver  cracked  his  whip,  and  the  horses  started 
off  on  a  run,  up  the  hill.  « 

"  Good-by!  good-by!  "  shouted  Rob  and  Nelly,  lean- 
ing out. 

"  Goot-by!  "  cried  Ulrica,  and  flung  both  her  bou- 
quets into  the  stage,  into  Mrs.  March's  lap,  and  Nelly's. 

"  Good-by!   good-by!  "  cried  Billy  and  Lucinda. 

"  Goot-by!  "  cried  Mr.  Kleesman;  "  and  goot  luck 
go  with  you." 

"  That's  jest  what  will  go  with  that  Nelly  wherever 
she  goes, ' '  said  Billy,  turning  to  Mr.  Kleesman. 


332  NELLTS   SILVER   MINE 

1 '  You  haf  known  the  child  ?  ' '  asked  Mr.  Kleesman. 

1 '  Well,  yes, ' '  said  Billy,  leisurely,  ' '  I  may  say  I  know 
her.  I  brought  'em  here,  three  years  ago  last  spring; 
an'  me  'n'  my  wife  we  lived  with  'em  goin'  on  a  year. 
Yes,  I  know  'em.  There  ain't  any  nicer  folks  in  this 
world;  but  Nelly  she's  the  pick  o'  the  hull  on  'em. 
She  ain't  no  common  child;  she  ain't,  now.  She  hain't 
minded  no  more  about  that  mine  o'  hern,  —  that  mine 
she  found,  —  I  suppose  you've  heered  all  about  it —  " 

' '  Yes,  I  know, ' '  said  Mr.  Kleesman. 

"  Well,"  continued  Billy,  "  nobody  but  me  knows 
how  that  little  gal 's  heart  was  set  on  to  thet  mine.  She  'd 
come  an'  stand  by  the  hour  an'  see  me  work  in  it.  I 
worked  there  long  o '  Scholfield  some  six  weeks :  we  was 
all  took  in  putty  bad.  She'd  come  an'  stand  an'  look 
an'  look,  and  talk  about  what  her  father  'n'  mother 
could  do  with  the  money :  never  so  much  's  a  word  about 
any  thing  she  'd  like  herself ;  an '  yet  I  could  see  her  hull 
heart  was  jest  set  on  it.  And  yet's  soon  's  'twas  clear 
an'  sartin  that  the  mine  wan't  good  for  any  thing,  she 
jest  give  it  all  up;  and  there  hain't  never  come  a  com- 
plainin'  or  a  disapp 'inted  word  out  o'  her  mouth.  'Twas 
her  own  mine  too,  —  and  after  her  namin'  it  and  all. 
I've  seen  many  a  man  in  this  country  broken  all  up  by 
no  worse  a  disappointment  than  that  child  had.  She's 
been  jest  a  lesson  to  me :  she  has.  I  declare  I  never 
go  by  the  pesky  mine  without  thinking  o'  the  day  when 
she  danced  up  and  sez  she,  '  I  '11  name  it !  I  '11  name  it 
"  The  Good  Luck!  "  '  " 

"  Ach,  veil!  "  said  Mr.  Kleesman,  "  she  haf  better 
than  any  silver  mine  in  her  own  self.  She  haf  such 
goot-vill,  such  patient,  such  true,  she  haf  always  l  goot 
luck.'  She  are  *  Goot  Luck  mine  '  her  own  self." 


THE  WRITINGS  OF 

HELEN  JACKSOfr  (H.H.) 


RAMONA.     12mo $1.50 

Pasadena  Edition.  Printed  in  large,  clear  type,  and 
illustrated  with  photogravure  portrait  of  the  author 
and  16  full-page  half-tone  pictures  and  numerous 
chapter  headings  and  tailpieces  from  drawings  by 
Henry  Sandham.  With  an  introduction  by  Sarah  C. 
Woolsey  (Susan  Coolidge).  Crown  8vo.  Cloth,  in 

box 2.00 

Half  crushed  morocco,  gilt  top 4.00 


MERCY  PHILBRICK'S  CHOICE.     16mo.    .     .     . 
HETTY'S  STRANGE  HISTORY.     16mo.     .    .     . 

ZEPH.     A  Posthumous  Story.     16mo 

BETWEEN  WHILES.    A  Collection  of  Stories. 


16mo. 


COMPLETE  POEMS.     With  portrait.     12mo.    .     . 

"  She  has  been  called  our  finest  woman  poet.    The  woman 
might  well  be  omitted."    B.  W.  EMBBSOK. 

BITS   OF   TRAVEL.      Illustrated.     Square  18mo. 
BITS   OF  TRAVEL    AT    HOME.      Square  18mo. 


.25  net 
.25  net 
.25  net 

.25  net 
.50  net 


.25  net 
.25  net 


GLIMPSES  OF  CALIFORNIA  AND  THE  MIS- 
SIONS. New  Edition.  With  37  pictures  by  Henry 
Sandham,  including  numerous  full-page  plates. 
12mo.  Decorated  cloth 1.50  net 

FATHER    JUNIPERO    AND     THE     MISSION 

INDIANS.     School  Edition.     12mo 75  net 

A  CENTURY  OF  DISHONOR.  A  Sketch  of  the 
U.  S.  Government's  Dealings  with  some  of  the 
Indian  Tribes.  12mo 1.50  net 

BITS    OF   TALK   ABOUT    HOME    MATTERS. 

Square  IBmo 1.25  net 

BITS  OF  TALK  FOR  YOUNG  FOLKS.  Illus- 
trated. 16mo 1.25  net 

NELLY'S  SILVER  MINE.     Illustrated.     12mo.    .     1.50 

CAT  STORIES.  Comprising  "  Letters  from  a  Cat," 
" Mammy  Tittleback  and  Her  Family,"  and  "The 
Hunter  Cats  of  Connorloa."  Illustrated.  3  vols. 

in  one.     Small  4to 2.00 

Sold  separately,  $1.25  each 


LITTLE,  BROWN,  &  COMPANY,  Publishers 
34  BEACON  STREET,  BOSTON,  MASS. 


GENERAL  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA— BERKELEY 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or  on  the 

date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


LD  21-100m-l, '54(1887sl6)476 


c .  /  "  ~/. x. 


EDUC. 
JBRARV 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


